Orbiting Satellites – Book Two
by Just4fun37
Summary: Takes place 4 years after Breaking Dawn. Nessie looks 15. When Jake imprinted, he assumed everything was going to be perfect between them but their lives together are still a struggle - the Cullens are moving to NH, there's growing competition between him and Nahuel, who visits Nessie every year for her birthday, & eventual danger from Joham. Read Orbiting Satellites Bk 1 before 2
1. New Hampshire, Part one

**Orbiting Satellites – Book Two**

* * *

**Year Four - The Snow Moon **

Renesmee's physical development grows from a fifteen year old teenager to an eighteen year old adult.

Chapter 1 - New Hampshire, part one

Chapter 2 - New Hampshire, part two

Chapter 3 - Embry's Court Date

Chapter 4 - The Missed Birthday

Chapter 5 - Rude Awakenings

Chapter 6 - Unexpected Announcements

Chapter 7 - Mating Questions

Chapter 8 - Lots to Learn

Chapter 9 - The Volturi Return

* * *

**Year Five - The Worm Moon **

Renesmee's physical development advances from an eighteen year old to a twenty year old adult.

Chapter 10 - Fight Training

Chapter 11 - Decisions, Decisions

Chapter 12 - Nahuel's Return

Chapter 13 - The College Plan

Chapter 14 - College (and Trouble) Begins

Chapter 15 - The Tough Talk

Chapter 16 - Driving and Dating

Chapter 17 - A Dream and a Wedding

Chapter 18 - Talks with Bella and Jacob

Chapter 19 - A Very Long Night

* * *

**Year Six - The Blue Moon **

Renesmee's physical development advances from a twenty year old to a twenty-two year old.

Chapter 20 - Jennifer

Chapter 21 - Uncomfortable Reality

Chapter 22 – Oops!

Chapter 23 - Found Bodies

Chapter 24 - Where Is He?

Chapter 25 – Finally

Chapter 26 - Christmas Morning

Chapter 27 - Reconciliation

Chapter 28 - Sunrise

Chapter 29 - Jake's 22nd birthday

Chapter 30 - Answers Found

Chapter 31 - Renée'sCall

Chapter 32 - False security

Chapter 33 - Negative after Negative

Chapter 34 - Don't Make Us Go Home

Chapter 35 - Trouble on Isle Esme

Chapter 36 - Surprising Developments

Chapter 37 - Turmoil

Chapter 38 - Darkness

* * *

**The Snow Moon**

* * *

**Year Four, Chapter One**

**New Hampshire, ****Part One**

* * *

Jacob's Point of View

* * *

In a couple of days the Cullens were going to be moving. Being Vampires they couldn't stay in one place too long. That, and if they stayed where they were, so close to the Quileute Reservation, they would have triggered the shape-shifting gene in practically every member of my Tribe, who was of age, and that would mean a whole lot more Werewolves. There were already two Packs. Mine was made up of Leah, my second, her younger brother Seth, and my friends Quil and Embry. The other Pack was led by Sam, who used to be my Alpha, before I split with him to form my own Pack, his second, Jared, then there was Paul, Colin, Brady, and a couple others. That was more Wolves than the Tribe had ever had, as far as we knew.

Last time the Cullens had moved I had gone with them. But back then it was just to a different part of the State of Washington. This time it was clear across the country, all the way to New Hampshire.

Back when my best friend, Bella was still human, her husband, Edward had promised her that they would go to Dartmouth together. Now she was a Vampire, like him, and they were leaving, and the six other Cullens agreed to go as well. And since her parents were moving, naturally their daughter, Nessie was moving, too.

It was hard enough for me, with their last move, to the other side of Washington. Werewolf were the natural enemy of Vampires. It meant leaving my family, and Pack, and home, but I was moving too. I had no choice but to. I couldn't leave Nessie, she was my Imprint, my Soulmate, I was bonded to her for life. I would do anything for her.

My Pack wasn't too happy about my leaving, but the Cullens were; even Rose was willing to put up with my wolfy "stench" after we bonded over our mutual feelings of... shall we say _disgust_ for Nahuel. Nahuel was a half-Vampire, like Nessie. But unlike my angel, her family considered themselves Vegetarians and only drank animal blood, he was brought up by his Vampire Aunt Huilen, and saw no problem feeding and killing humans. But that wasn't the worst part, it was his treatment of human women that Nessie's Aunt and I had a problem with. It's not that he would just feed from them, it's what he would do before that, that we objected to. His lovemaking (his words, not mine) was for no one's pleasure but his own, and would kill the women after he was done, sometimes, he admitted, he wasn't careful enough and they wouldn't even survive that long. And now he had set his eyes on Nessie. That wasn't going t happen. He didn't live with the rest of the Cullens, but came every September, around Nessie's birthday to visit. For some reason the others were more understanding of his past. Well Carlisle, the head of the family, was the kindest, most compassionate being, Vampire, human, or Wolf, in the world. And his wife Esme loved everyone. Rose couldn't even get her husband, Emmett to share her concerns about Nahuel, but he only saw the fun loving side of life. I guess I understood Jasper's reaction to the news. He didn't have such a spotless record himself, and killed more humans than any of the other Cullens, combined. He still struggled the most whenever around them. But at least he changed, when he found his mate, Alice and she showed him the Cullen way of life. Nahuel did no such thing. I think the rest of the Cullens were assuming he would eventually, if he wanted to have a relationship with Nessie, when she was older. Much, much older. They didn't see him as an immediate threat. I on the other hand wasn't taking any chances, and was planning on _talking_ to him when I saw him next.

Of course he might not show up. Had anyone told him we moved? My problem might be solved before it even got to be an actual issue. This move was looking better and better.

My father, Billy was pretty pissed though that I was moving again,. even after I told him I was going to be attending college.

Since all of the Cullens were going, Edward had me fill out an application for Dartmouth, too. I told him that there was no way I would get in, but humored him anyway.

I remember the day the letter came for me last April. I had just come home from school and Nessie bounced up to me waving an envelope around in her hand. It was thin. I heard that was a bad sign. Rejection letters were thin, right? "We're sorry to inform you... blah... blah... blah -" how long did that need to be, really?

* * *

_Nessie had looked so excited. "Jacob, open it. I bet you got in, I just know it." I didn't want to disappoint her but I was no where near being even close to as smart as her family. They had all received their acceptance letters weeks ago. It must be nice having a super vamp brain that worked at faster than lightening speed and never forgot anything. "What are you waiting for?" she asked me after I had stood there, struggling to think of how I could make her feel better once she found out what I already knew._

"_Maybe its best you don't get your hopes up. You don't know I'll get in, sweetheart. And besides I have a stack of acceptance letters from schools nearby that I DID get into." Okay so it was only three and they were community colleges, but that still counted, right? Well, I could at least give her some fun. _

"_Here Nessie, why don't you open it for me." I had handed her the envelope which she quickly tore open. _

"_Congratulations Mr. Black -" Nessie had started reading but I stopped listening after the first word. _

_How had I actually gotten in? How was that possible? I assumed Edward must have done something, paid for a new wing or library, or something. __ He seemed pretty confident that I would get into Dartmouth all along. __I didn't believe for a second that I had actually gotten in on my own. _

"_... you will receive a packet containing the relevant paperwork, that will be accompanying this letter, within the next week or two. Sincerely, Dartmouth College Admissions." Nessie finished reading. _

"_Congratulations Jacob." I had been in such a daze that I missed everyone's arrival, and didn't realized I was surrounded by all of the Cullens, until they started giving me pats on the back and even some hugs from Bella and Esme. _

"_Edward did you have anything to do with this? There is no point in you throwing your money around and buying my way in, just so we all can be together at the same school." Why did he even want me there? We barely tolerated each other. Sure it got better after the Volturi battle, but lately things were getting more and more strained between us. "If I'm not smart enough to get in on my own how do you expect me to stay there? I'll just end up flunking out." _

"_Jacob, you will be a welcome addition to Dartmouth and I assure you I had nothing to do with your acceptance. You did this all on your own. But I have a feeling it may have something to do with the essay you wrote."_

"_My essay?" I was confused. He never read it. Wait, of course he did, he would have heard it in my head as I was working on it. But how was that impressive? "I just wrote about life on the Res, our legends, and well, protecting the Tribe and stuff. I had to edit around the Wolf stuff. But why was that seen as anything special?"_

"_Jake, I'm guessing you were not aware that Dartmouth was originally __founded as a school to educate __Native Americans, it's even part of their official charter__." Rose informed me. "It currently graduates more Native Americans then most other Ivy League schools combined." _

_I know she was trying to be nice but that didn't make me feel better. "So that's why I got in? I'm nothing more than just a statistic or quota, or whatever. Great." It was just another reason why I didn't really belong there._

"_You may not have been aware of the school's history and mission but others certainly are. Being of Native American ancestry does not guarantee someone acceptance. You still had to get in with good grades and SAT scores," Jasper added. _

"_Yeah, and the more Native Americans who apply, the larger the percentage that gets rejected." Emmett was never as helpful as he tried to be. _

_Bella turned to me now. "Jake, who cares why or how you got in. You got in. The only thing that matters now is what you do while you're there. And we can all help you, if you need it."_

"_I guess you're right." I relented. "But I have a feeling I'm going to need a lot of help." _

* * *

I had waited until I saw Billy at my High School graduation to tell him. He drove, alone in his new truck that the Cullens bought him. It was a long drive, and I worried, but the Cullens were still wary of caring any Wolf scents to Hoodsport, but he made it there okay.

I wanted to tell him my news in person, hoping he would be happy, proud even, that I got in, and an Ivy League school at that. He seemed happy that I would be going to school, but the smile he gave me never reached his eyes.

My mother had died years ago, my sister, Rebecca had moved away to Hawaii, running away with and marring a suffer, as soon as she turned eighteen, and my other sister, Rebecca's twin, Rachel, only stayed with him instead of going back to college because she was Imprinted on by Paul. Billy probably felt like none of his family wanted him. It wasn't true though. I loved my dad, we all did.

I would have to find some way to make things right with him. But right now I had other things to think about, like why it was taking me so long to pack. Oh right, thanks to Alice I had actual things that needed to be placed carefully in boxes, like lamps, and a ridiculously large amount of clothes that I needed to fold and put in suitcases, this time. Not like the last move when I just threw the few meager pairs of shorts, I hadn't managed to destroy while phasing, into a bag.

We were not leaving for another couple of days, but I needed to get as much packed now as possible. I didn't want to wait until the last minute, rush, and forget something. It was all going to New Hampshire ahead of me tomorrow.

After another hour most of my clothes were boxed up, except for what I would need in the next day or two. What took the most time though was carefully wrapping the framed photos Nessie got me for my eighteenth birthday. My room was looking pretty empty, but I had one more thing that I needed to pack. I was saving it for last, and wanted to put it on top of the last box I filled; the Memory Box that my father made for me. It filled it with several personal items when he gave it to me but since then I added a few more things including the three pictures of my family I brought with me when I first moved in with the Cullen's.

I think that was it. All of my (and Rosalie's) tools that had been in the garage, were already on their way to the new house. The only thing of mine not coming with me was my Rabbit. Even after all the work Rose and I put into it we were fighting a lost cause. We had been replacing one part after another, but it was a losing battle. And the replacement parts we were using were not in the best condition either. Sometimes Rose and I just ended up switching out one broken part with a slightly less broken version. I guess I could have put in a new engine, meant for a different car, but that kinda defeated the purpose; in my mind at least.

I also didn't want to take the chance of driving it to New Hampshire and having it die on the side of the road. I ended up having it towed to La Push. Someone there could use it, maybe sell it for parts, or something, when it finally died completely.

At least I still had the motorcycle that I rebuilt with Bella. I could take some comfort in that.

Edward had offered, _again_ to buy me a new car, truck, or whatever I wanted, but I didn't feel right about that. He was already paying my college tuition. He finally dropped the subject when I agreed to continue using his car. I had been driving it to Canada, every week for the past two years, to take Nessie hunting. He was buying himself a new one anyway, so it didn't seem like a big deal. However he took it one step further and transferred the Volvo's title into my name. Cheater!

I know I didn't want to leave, really. But I had to. The Cullens couldn't stay in the state anymore. This time when I left with them, it would be for good. There would be no trips to La Push, no more surprise visits from my Pack, nothing. I would be cut off and alone.

There was one thing I was still holding out hope for, but would have to wait till we moved to see if it was even possible. I was hoping that I could still communicate with my Pack when I phased. We had tested the Wolf telepathy range out to three hundred miles, but never beyond that. Perhaps it could go farther. We never tried. Maybe it could go three thousand miles. Probably not. I didn't know why I was getting my hopes up, I was just going to be disappointed. And anyway, if I wanted to talk to them I could just use the phone.

Nessie, Nessie, Nessie. I just had to focus on my Nessie. She was the source of my happiness, my reason for being. I would be happy because I would be with her. I could adjust to being without everyone else as long as I had her.

* * *

Authors Note: I've decided to write a companion book to this one, from Nahuels point of view. It won't be as long, (and I wont upload it onto the site until I have published the entire Book Two, as not to give any spoilers) but it will give the reasons behind some of his actions and decisions, and might make him more likable. If you've read Sunrise you should know what I'm talking about, if not, you'll find out soon enough. :) Enjoy, and thanks for reading.


	2. New Hampshire, Part Two

**The Snow Moon**

* * *

**Year Four, Chapter Two**

**New Hampshire, Part Two**

* * *

Renesmee's Point of View

* * *

Over the last two weeks my Aunts and Uncles had driven the families cars, and a couple trailers, across the county and back, to our new home in New Hampshire. It was conveniently located, not only right next to the White Mountain National Forest, but also just a mile off the highway, near Hanover that would take everyone, except me, to Dartmouth College.

The family would be spread out, living in three individual domiciles; all older Victorians that were common in this area. I would be living with my mother and father. And Jacob, of course. The house was nice, though much smaller than our previous place, yet much bigger than the cottage in Forks. Jacob would be happy to not be banging his head on the ceiling again when he stood up straight.

Since we were not keeping the house in Hoodsport my Aunts and Uncles had taken most of the furniture, art, clothing, etc… to Haverhill. It only took two days to make the journey from Washington to New Hampshire if one didn't have to stop for sleep, which of course my family did not. But they had just emptied the cars and trailers and went back to Washington for another load. Nothing had been set up yet here.

My grandparents had been out there for the past couple of weeks trying to get the houses in order. It was my understanding that each house was gutted to just a shell. My family had very specific requirements, which meant that the two of them had been working nonstop since they arrived. Walls were moved, electrical and heating systems were upgraded, new appliances were installed, among many other things.

My parents were only driving out once. They stayed with us for as long as they could but left Washington a couple of days ago themselves, while Jacob and I flew out yesterday. My parents had taken into consideration how uncomfortable it would be for us, Jacob especially, to be cooped up in a car for almost forty-eight hours, and decided against it. Not to mention that since we would need food and bathroom breaks, it would just extend our trip.

Mr. Jenks had to be contacted to make me new IDs so I could fly. I couldn't believe it when I opened up the envelope my mother handed me before she left. I thought I was just getting a new passport and birth certificate but there was also I drivers license for an eighteen year old Vanessa Wolfe. She explained that it would just make things easier if I was a legal adult on the paperwork. It wasn't like I knew how to drive, and I'm not sure how many people would believe I was eighteen. I could barely pass for fifteen right now, but I trusted her and after a temporary hair and clothing makeover, by Aunt Alice, I didn't have any problems at the airport.

Since Jacob and I left in the afternoon, and with the time difference, it was nighttime when our plane touched down on the east coast. After Jacob ate dinner we both just ended up going to sleep (my parents had already set up our beds). I wasn't really tired but none of the family's books, games, or TV's had been unpacked yet and there wasn't much to do. I couldn't even find a lamp, not that I couldn't see perfectly fine in the dark. It just seemed weird.

The next morning I woke bright and early and decided to start unpacking. Someone had put all of my furniture in my room, I just needed to decide where to place everything.

Wait! There was an extra piece in here that I didn't have before. Last night, I wasn't paying much attention and assumed it was my desk, but that was over by the closet door. This was about the same size, but had a mirror lying flat on top. It was a vanity! How pretty. It matched the rest of my ivory furniture, but I hadn't seen it until now. Aunt Alice or Grandma Esme must have stored it in the attic of the other house.

After moving my bed from the window wall it was currently up against, to the one opposite it, giving me a view of the sunrise, I put my new vanity in between two of those windows. I didn't wear makeup, but it would be nice light to have while I brushed and did my hair. Next I placed my desk on the wall, to the right of my vanity. My nightstand went next to my bed. Done. Now I just had to unpack my clothes, books, lamps, knick-knacks, toiletries, jewelry, and everything else.

Where could those boxes be?

I got my answer as soon as I opened my closet door.

Yikes!

Stacked floor to ceiling, five rows deep, were boxes upon boxes. Esme had left a note labeling my shelves verses Jacobs. I was happy to learn that just like the house in Hoodsport, WA, our bedrooms were close to each other's, separated, once again, by a shared closet and bathroom.

Three hours later I had finished unpacking all of my stuff, showered and dressed, yet hadn't heard or seen Jacob. Checking my phone I saw that it was only 9:23. He was probably still asleep.

Not wanting him to oversleep I thought I might as well have a little fun. Since he hadn't woken up with all of the noise I just made, I figured I didn't need to be too careful sneaking into his room. And I was right. I made it all the way over to his bed, which was set up right under his rooms windows, just like mine had been. The only difference being that his windows were all open, probably by him, to air out my families lingering scents. Bending my knees so I got some good height, I jumped, just missing hitting the fifteen foot high ceiling and didn't scream his name till I was halfway down. His eyes burst open just before I crashed on top of him.

"Good morning sleepy head!"

"Nessie… I... you shouldn't be in here." He sat up, then set me on my feet next to his bed, before quickly grabbing his tee shirt off the floor and throwing it on.

"Well, I couldn't let you sleep all day." I explained, holding up my phone so he could see the time. "Come on, let's go grab some breakfast then we can unpack your room."

He followed me into the kitchen, but looked uneasy. I guess that wasn't the nicest wake up call. "Don't you want to do your-"

"I already finished mine while you were sleeping," I replied, while looking in the fridge for something for him to eat. I didn't want to eat, myself, preferring to go hunt later. We didn't have much. There was a note on the stove, in my father's elegant script, saying that he and my mother were out grocery shopping at that very moment. Judging by the noises Jacobs stomach was making I don't think he could wait that long though. "Cereal?" I asked, holding up a box of Rice Krispies in one hand and Raisin Bran in the other.

After breakfast Jacob and I began unpacking his clothes. We had left the bedroom and closet doors open so that we would be able to hear my parents come back. Halfway through the boxes they did.

"I'm gonna go give them a hand putting away the food. Need to make sure they got my favorites," Jacob explained as he dashed out of the room.

I managed to unpack five boxes before he got back. "How much food did they buy?" I asked him when he reappeared. With their supernatural speed and strength it should have taken only a few minutes, not the twenty he had been gone. "Oh, never mind." Once I got a good look at Jacob I understood. Going over to him, I licked my thumb and reached up to dab his cheek. He tried squirming away, but I used my other hand to hold his head in place. "Calm down, I'm just wiping away the syrup your wearing. How were my mother's pancakes?" I tried not to but a smirk appeared on my face anyway.

"It was waffles, and Edward made them," he said, rubbing the same spot on his cheek. "Sorry," he apologized before looking around the closet. "Hey, you almost finished everything in here."

The rest of the morning was spent putting away the remainder of his clothes, moving his furniture around his room, hanging his pictures, and putting away his books and the rest of his stuff, just as I had done in my room.

"I think it is a nice change that we won't all be living together this time. What do you think Jacob? Won't it be nice to have more privacy?" I asked as I placed the seashell, that Jacob had acquired from First Beach, on his bookcase next to the one I had removed from Copalis Beach. Although Jacob and I had only gone once, while living in Hoodsport, I thought it would be enough to commemorate our time there. I had written _La Push_ and _Hoodsport_ along with the year we left, inside each one.

"Nessie, I don't think there's any privacy in a house … or within five miles," he added under his breath, "where your mind reading father is."

"That's true, but he doesn't go around sharing everything he hears. Why?" I chuckled. "Do you have a lot of thoughts you don't want anyone to know about?"

"No, but it would just be nice not having to watch _all_ of my thoughts, _all_ the time."

"But if you don't think of inappropriate things then there's nothing he can get upset at you for."

"Nessie, who's to say what's inappropriate? Why does Edward get to decide? I can't be responsible for every random thing I think. I'm bound to have a stray thought now and then. And he has no right to judge me for them." Jacob was getting so upset, but I wasn't sure why.

"He doesn't do that."

"Sure, sure," he rolled his eyes. "There's gonna come a time, when he hears something he doesn't like from me... or you, and then you'll see how little privacy we actually have."

I had a feeling Jacob was thinking back to the incident this summer, where I tried turning our relationship romantic. It was a disaster. Though I was mentally an adult, I only appeared to be around thirteen years old at the time and Jacob felt that it didn't matter how mature I was mentally, I looked too young for him to be able to reciprocate my feelings.

I had agreed to hold off, while I physically matured, but my father had found out, which led to Jacob and I sleeping apart. He had only started spending the night next to me shortly after the Volturi came and I began having nightmares. His holding me while I slept was the only thing we found that kept them at bay. As time went on they slowly lessoned and after what I did, my parents thought it was time I was on my own at night. It was hard at first. I didn't want to lose being with my best friend, but slowly it got easier.

Jacob wasn't mentioning that incident now specifically, but I guess he had a point. Which begs the question: in the future, when I looked old enough, if I were to begin something with Jacob, my father would be listening and... what? Try to stop us? Stop me from being with my soulmate?

No, he must realize it is only a matter of time until Jacob and I are together.

Right now, however, it seemed like Jacob was really trying to emphasize, to either himself, or me, or both of us, I wasn't sure which, that I was still a little girl. I looked fifteen now, but last month he took me to a carnival, and then suggested we play tag and hide-and-seek in the woods. Last week we watched Disney and Pixar cartoons at his suggestion. We'd never done any of those things before, even when I looked like a toddler. I played along, Jacob really seemed to want to just keep me a little kid, right now. But I promised myself that if he needed time I would give it to him. I just hope he doesn't take too long.

We would be in New Hampshire for at least the next four years. I would be fully grown by the time we have to leave; my father couldn't stop us being together then, surely.

"Well, maybe on our next move we can move into our own place. Just the two of us."

"Wha…" Jacob was about to set a lamp on his nightstand, but it shattered in his hands. "Oh… I should... um, go find a dustpan to clean this up," he mumbled as he hurried out of the bedroom.

He was gone for more than thirty minutes and there were no new food smears on him or his clothes this time to explain his prolonged absence, when he returned.

"Jacob, there you are, what took you so long?"

"Sorry Nessie, I _had_ to have a quick chat with Bella and Edward," he told me as he walked back into his room, empty handed.

My parents were supposedly setting up their bedroom, music/reading room, and movie room upstairs. With their Vampire speed they should have been done with all of that last night. It wasn't hard to figure out what they were really doing though.

I was still getting use to the small house. In addition to our bedrooms, and the kitchen, the living room was the only other room on the first floor. Though I have not seen them, I'm sure Grandpa Carlisle and Grandma Esme's house, and my Aunts and Uncles house, were set up similarly. Each probably containing rooms specific to their favorite interests and decorated by Grandma Esme in their own styles as well. Even with the extra soundproofing that Esme had had installed once again, I think my parents were cognizant of not wanting Jacob or myself hearing them at night, and their room was as far away from ours as possible. But that only made the length Jacob was just gone stranger.

"Is everything alright?"

"Sure, sure. They just wanted to talk to me about a few things and make sure everything was going okay, settling in to our new bedrooms." Of course, my father must have _heard_ the lamp break.

"So, I guess you couldn't find a dustpan?" He looked confused before glancing at the broken remnants of the lamp on the floor. I had thrown the larger pieces in the trash but there were numerous smaller fragments and a good amount that had turned to dust scattered over the floor.

"Oh, I kinda forgot."

Hmmm, maybe his talk with my parents wasn't as innocent as he implied.

"It's okay, why don't you continue unpacking while I go find one. It was probably my fault the lamp _broke_, anyway." In truth I knew it had really shattered in his hands, because of the pressure he… I had put it under.

"No, it wasn't," he sighed as he sunk onto his bed. "I don't want you to get upset but I had a _slight_ freak-out over us living together, four years from now. Not that I thought it was in any way a bad thing. It was just unexpected. And it's not that I wouldn't love to be _with_ you... when you're older and um... Anyway when I ran into Edward, he explained to me that you were only thinking of my mental privacy."

"Jacob, it's alright. I told you I wasn't going to try anything to progress our relationship until we were both ready and I meant it." I felt horrible, having upset my Jacob, and worse, had also proven his point in the process. "I guess this does confirm what you said about a person's thoughts not being their own around my father."


	3. Embry's Court Date

**The Snow Moon**

* * *

**Year Four, Chapter Three**

**Embry's Court Date**

* * *

Jacob's Point of View

* * *

This wasn't the third birthday Nessie deserved.

The two of us had been stuck on a plane all last night, before we picked up the rental car to drive the rest of the way to the Oregon courthouse for Embry's indecent exposure court hearing. It wasn't what I had envisioned, and I was pretty sure it wasn't what she wanted either. There was nothing I could do though. The plan was to celebrate with her family when we returned to New Hampshire. It was the best I could do.

For now I had to be there for Embry. This court, trial, hearing, _thing_ was expected to consume us for almost three days, what with the time it took flying across the country, then the hearing would take most of the day, as best as Alice could tell, and finally flying home.

Nessie refused to be away from me for that long, so here we were, on our way to meet a bunch of the Tribes lawyers. Her family had offered to get Embry some high priced lawyer, but it was customary for the Tribe to handle legal matters and incidents regarding members internally. The Reservation was technically its own sovereign nation, with its own laws, courts, judges and lawyers. Our lawyers, together with the Council of Elders, Sam, Leah and myself, were going to attempt to petition the Oregon Court to let us handle Embry's case back at La Push, or at the very least, that he serve out his sentence, whatever that may be, on the Reservation.

"Happy Birthday Nessie," I said as we pulled up to the courthouse in the rental car.

"Jacob, you already wished me a happy birthday. Remember?"

"I know, I just thought I should say it again. And I'm sorry. I promise I'll make it up to you."

"You have nothing to be sorry for. It isn't your fault we're here and this is much more important than a party. We can celebrate some other time."

We had been in the car for just over an hour. It had actually been a pleasant drive, despite the reason for the trip.

"So, do you know if Embry is bringing his Imprint?" Nessie asked.

"No, Colleen's staying on the Makah Res with her _boyfriend,_" I spat, still disturbed by the whole situation.

She was what today was all about. Embry had spent over a year in agony when she wouldn't talk to him. Served him right though, after the horribly offensive pickup line he used, on a dare by one of his college friends. The words left his mouth a second before he looked into her eyes and Imprinted. But it was too late by then. She screamed at him, kicking him out of her life, before he was actually in it. He tried making it up to her - apologizing, groveling, begging. Nothing worked. Yet he couldn't be away from her, and followed her around, discreetly (or not) for her own protection, the Imprint compelling him to at least make sure she was safe. But on a trip here to Oregon with her friends she spotted him and freaked out, thinking he must have been stalking her, or something. Distraught, he ran and phased into his wolf form, once safely away from her. After phasing back he was spotted by some people, and he got arrested for public nudity, which is why we were here.

But on the plus side Colleen was now talking to him, thanks to Nessie. Once my angel found out about everything, she organized a breakfast for Embry's Imprint, to meet with all of the other Imprints. Then they talked her into going to La Push where she met Sam, Paul, and Jared. After hanging out with the Imprinted couples for the morning, they had asked her if she was ready to meet Embry again. Now that Colleen knew about Imprinting (and Embry) she had relaxed considerably, but it was still a long road to get to where they were today however. Then again, even them v being friends was so much better than nothing for Embry.

"She probably would have come today if Embry had asked her, but he didn't want her to see him like that," I told Nessie.

"That makes sense. They're having a hard enough time as it was, they don't need more things to complicate their relationship."

"What relationship?" I huffed

"Okay, so they only have a platonic relationship, right now. But you always told me that that would be enough, for _you_ at least," Nessie said, "if that was what _I_ wanted. Were you lying?"

It was true, I always told Nessie that each Imprint had a choice, that friendship would be enough for a Wolf, if the Imprint wanted it that way, but it had never happened before. (I still held out hope for Embry and Colleen.)

"Renesmee, I've never lied to you. You know I love you, and when you're _older_ I'll still want to love you as much as you'll let me. But if you only want to be friends, then that will have to be enough for me, just as long as I don't lose you altogether." I thought it would be hard for me to say, to admit, but it wasn't. It was the truth.

"Alright, so why then, do you seem upset when Embry and Colleen are trying so hard to make their _friendship_ work? In the last three months he finally seemed happy. He may not be dating her, but they are together. And who knows what will happen in the future."

Nessie was right. I needed to not get so worked up by this. "I'm not upset, exactly. I just want what's best for Embry. For him to be as happy as possible. I see how happy Sam and Emily, Jared and Kim, and Paul and Rachel are, and I want that for him, too."

"But aren't we happy? And Quil and Claire? Don't you think they're happy?"

"Of course Quil and Claire are happy. And you are, right?"

"You know you make me perfectly happy, Jacob." After a minute of neither of us talking she asked me something I wasn't expecting. "So, do you know how is it working out between Embry, Colleen and her boyfriend?"

"Oh, um, I think it's going fairly well, mostly. Embry didn't like the idea of her dating to begin with, but he could hardly stop her. It's her choice and since he wants her to be happy… But he had insisted in checking out the guy first. They planned some casually meeting, over lunch one afternoon, so he could inspect the guy, without it being too obvious."

"What does this guy think of Embry? I would assume he might be jealous of some man hanging out with his girlfriend more than he does."

"Actually, from what I saw in Embry's mind, the last time we were both phased before I left, it seems that the guy is under the impression that Embry's gay. Embry doesn't seem to mind and is actually encouraging that thinking. He thinks that if the guy sees him as a threat it might lead to either Colleen breaking up with the guy, or him breaking up with her, or if she really likes the guy, her telling Embry to take a hike. None of which would particularly make either of them happy."

"Well, I don't want Colleen to reject Embry again, but I don't think he should be lying to her boyfriend. It will most likely end badly for everyone, that way. Is Colleen aware of what is going on?"

"I doubt it. And I already told Embry that he needs to come clean. He's not technically lying, he never told her boyfriend he was gay, he just never corrected him. Embry couldn't lie to Colleen, because of the Imprint, even if he tried, but if this guy can't handle her being friends with Embry then maybe he is not the right guy for her."

We'd just pulled up to the courthouse so we would have to pause this conversation for now.

"Where are we meeting everyone?" Nessie asked as we got out of the car.

"Just outside of Courtroom B, I think. The trial isn't suppose to start for another hour and the lawyers want to go over everything with the Elders – Billy, Harry and Sue, along with Embry, Sam and myself one more time."

"Um, Jacob? I understand the lawyers wanting the Elders there, but why the other Wolves? I mean, I know you and Sam are the Packs two Alphas, but what are they planning on telling the judge? And why Leah?" Nessie looked confused. Something that I rarely ever saw.

"The Quileute lawyers don't know that we're Wolves either," I chuckled. "They're just showing some representatives of the Tribe who will take responsibility of Embry if the court release's him into our custody. And you know how Leah is my second, it's only right she be here, since she's basically been running my Pack while I have been gone. Actually my entire Pack should be here. Living in New Hampshire means we won't be able to see them again for awhile, years maybe, and they insisted on coming to see us one last time." It was sad to think about, but I would have to deal with that later. I needed to be here for Embry now.

"The lawyers better be successful." I continued. "I don't like the thought of Embry being stuck in a jail cell. Just him being locked up for the six, or so hours he was before we bailed him out before was worrisome. He probably wouldn't do well confined and away from Colleen for longer. I don't know how long he would be able to last before he lost it and phased."

"Don't think like that. He'll be going home by the end of the day. I know it. We need to think positively. And if the worst case scenario happens, then Embry has a wonderful person waiting for him when he gets out, and maybe she could visit him. At the very least, going back to her gives him a reason to remain calm. It's not like when he first got arrested. They are together now, even if it is just as friends."

"I hope you're right, Nessie. I don't know what I would do if I was in his shoes. Just the thought of being forced away from you sends shivers down my spine," I shrugged, actually feeling cold for a second. "Come on. Let's go find everyone."

* * *

Contrary to what we were hoping, the Oregon Court tried his case then and there. The outcome of the hearing was the best we could have wished for. It was Embry's first offence so he was only sentenced to two hundred hours of community service, with no jail time. After some back and forth between our lawyers, where they re-stressed how this was an internal tribal matter, and the judge, who pointed out how the "incident" took place in Oregon not the Reservation, the judge finally agreed to let him carry out his _sentence_ on the Reservation. There would be a lot of paperwork that would need to be filled out to document that Embry was actually fulfilling his two hundred hours, but we could handle that.

Once we left the courtroom we all met back up in some empty room lawyers used to prep clients and witnesses before trials. My father talked briefly with the Tribal lawyers and assured them we would take care of everything. They asked to have us give them all of the completed paperwork to look over before submitting it. It was important everything be handled correctly. If something like this were to ever happen again, we needed to make sure we established a positive record that we could take care of things on our own land. So that next time, if there ever was one, I hoped not, but perhaps a judge would just let us take care of the entire matter ourselves.

"Okay so now that the suits are gone, what do we do now? I'm not going to have to pick up trash on the highway or something am I?"

Was he kidding me? "Embry, those _suits_, as you call them, just saved your butt. You should be more respectful."

"Yeah, sure," he said, backing up. I had gotten kinda close. "But seriously though, what am I going to have to do? Two hundred hours is a long time to be away from Colleen."

"I think we can all agree that you and the rest of the Wolves," Billy began, "have all done more than your fair share of _community service_ over the years, patrolling and keeping us all safe."

Leah huffed at my dad. "Yeah but he never would have gotten us into this mess if he had just come clean about his Imprint in the first place."

"Sheesh Leah, I think the pain of being without her all those months, was punishment enough." I was mad at Embry and his attitude but how could she be so uncaring?

"Yeah, and look where it got us. Once you found out, Nessie was able to come up with a plan to fix his mess immediately. This fool," she pointed to Embry, while her voice started to get higher and higher, "would have never gotten Colleen to even talk to him, if left up to himself, and would probably still have ended up in court, just with a restraining order instead."

"Keep your voice down," Sue warned her daughter. "Do you want the entire courthouse to hear you?"

"I know you're not a fan of Imprinting because of me," Sam then tried reasoning with her, "but don't punish Embry for it. You know we have no control over the Imprinting drive. We're compelled to be with them, forsaking everything else that matters to us. But he did the best he could... we all do."

"Embry was reckless and endangered the Tribe!" she shouted before seeing the glare I sent her and her voice immediately lowered to just above a whisper. "This had nothing to do with my feelings on Imprinting, or you. And don't flatter yourself Sam, it's been almost five years, I got over you a _long_ time ago. If you think I'm still hung up on you, then you're even more delusional than I thought. This only has to do with Embry's actions. He stalked that poor girl for over a year; who knows what else could have happened. The indecent exposure charge was probably the best case scenario. Maybe it's because of the Imprint that you guys just can't see it, but Embry lied to all of us, he kept secrets from his Pack. He put us all in danger."

"I agree," Nessie suddenly spoke up. She had been sitting in the corner keeping out of the discussion until now.

Sam looked over at her, and judging by his double take, probably for the first time today. I couldn't blame him. The last time he saw Nessie, she appeared to be about three years old. Now, only two years later, looked closer to fifteen. Actually, she looked like she could pass for even a few years older, today. She hadn't gone through a major growth spurt or anything, but the way she was dressed... I knew why. Alice had put together her outfit, going for a sophisticated and mature look. Only because it was needed for her to convince airport security that she was eighteen, like her IDs said, but Alice had really outdone herself, much more than for our flight out to New Hampshire a couple of weeks ago.

Alice had put Nessie in a slim fitting, grey tailored suit jacket with a matching pencil skirt, that came just above her knees. Add to that four inch heels and how she had put Nessie's hair up in a bun, she could definitely pass for an eighteen year old, easily. Being half-Vampire she was naturally beautiful, but she was rapidly becoming gorgeous. In a few years she was going to be a knockout.

"I'm sorry Renesmee," Sam sneered, "I know you're... _with_ Jacob, but this is an internal matter, and none of your concern." He was sputtering the words with disgust, snapping me out of my _mild_ amusement. Sam was one of the few people that wasn't a fan of my Imprint (my fault), tolerating her at best, but could the possibility of a romantic relationship between us repulse him that much?

It didn't matter that we didn't have one. Nessie was still too young for me to be with her like _that_. What was he thinking? Sure she looked older today, but that was only to help us get on the flight and into the courthouse. Even if all of her IDs said she was eighteen Sam knew the truth. He knew how old she really was. What was wrong with him?

"No, I don't think so. And I happen to agree with you _and_ my Aunt Leah," Nessie replied, either missing or ignoring Sam's innuendo.

I think hearing Nessie call Leah her Aunt, which she technically was now that Leah's mother, Sue married Nessie's grandfather, Charlie, it seemed to make Sam rethink her place here. She was more than just my Imprint, she was family.

Still... his implication… I was struggling to control my anger. A slight growl escaped my throat and I made sure to give Sam a warning glare and slightly shook my head at him. She was way to young, and he needed to know that, no matter how old he thought she appeared.

"Imprinting does not excuse bad behavior. Even though Embry's intentions were honorable," Nessie continued, also ignoring my growl. "What if something like this happens again, or worse, and leads to more Wolves going off on their own? The thing that makes Wolves strong is how you work together, is that not why you have your Wolf telepathy in the first place, so you're not running around doing your own thing, chasing your tails? You need to always communicate with each other. When the communication breaks down disaster happens."

It was ironic everything Nessie was saying. I wondered if she realized how what she said applied to me? Of course she did, she thought of everything. In a few hours after this was all over I would be leaving again, to be with Nessie, away from the rest of the Wolves. Alone, on my own. No more Wolf telepathy. No more Pack, no more family, no more anything.

"But I also agree that he has been punished enough," she continued, looking at Leah now. "Further reprimands or disciplinary actions will do nothing to fix anything and may make others even more reluctant to come forward if they have a problem in the future."

"Alright fine," Leah huffed. "Sam, I'll handle Embry, he's my responsibility since Jake is leaving again, and he left me in charge of his Pack. I'll take care of things, but I see that you and my _Niece_ have a point," she said while glaring at Sam.

"Good, just go easy on him," Sam said. "And you know you can come to me if you need anything." Huh? I wonder if those two will someday become friends, at least. They had loved each other once. And it would be nice if they could at least start to be civil to each other. Maybe Sam's offer was the first step. He then made his way towards Nessie, and held out his hand to shake hers. "It was... _nice_ seeing you again Renesmee." I could tell that was a big struggle for him to say. "I need to be getting back." He quickly yanked his hand away and then walked over the me. "Jake I guess this is goodbye, again. Take care of yourself. I'll see the rest of you back on the Reservation," he said before running out the door.

"Yeah, bye man," I called, but he was already gone.

"Alright, so now that all the serious business is taken care of I think we have a birthday girl that needs some celebrating," Quil said with a smile over to Nessie.

"Really, what did you have in mind?" She looked so happy now. I loved her smile.

"Nothing big, honey, I just thought we could go to a local restaurant for dinner. I hope that's okay?" I couldn't _not_ celebrate her birthday, after all.

"That's perfect Jacob. I was hoping you would get to spend some more time seeing Billy and your Pack."

Leave it to Nessie to be so selfless as to put me before her own birthday.


	4. The Missed Birthday

**The Snow Moon**

* * *

**Year Four, Chapter Four**

**The Missed Birthday**

* * *

Jacob's Point of View

* * *

After leaving the courthouse Nessie quickly took her hair out if its bun and removed her blazer, taking off about three years in the process, looking more like the fifteen year old she was.

I hope Nessie likes the restaurant I picked for her birthday dinner. She still didn't particularly like human food, at least when compared to animal blood, but I could tell it was starting to grow on her. Certain foods anyway. Maybe I could get her to eat a piece of cake, too.

But this really wasn't about the food. Well, Billy and my Pack liked that part, but it was more about celebrating Nessie and seeing everyone again.

Old Quil was… well, _old_ so after Embry's trial, Sue ended up taking him home but the rest of us went to the restaurant. There were seven of us in all, so the hostess sat us in a large booth in the back of the restaurant. It was around 4pm when we arrived so the place was still kinda empty and we were able to talk without having to worry about being overheard too much.

"So Jake, Nessie, what is the new house like? Is it as big as the last one. That place was sweet!" Embry commented, is voice going up at the end, clearly so much happier and stress free now that the threat of jail time and being away from his Imprint was gone. He was back to his carefree old self. Almost. Now that he had an Imprint, her safety and well being were always on the forefront of his mind. It was like that for all of us. We wanted nothing more than to keep them safe and make them happy.

"We're actually living in a few houses this time," Nessie started telling him and everyone else. "Everyone is pretending to be college students, even Grandpa Carlisle and Grandma Esme. They said they wanted a change of pace. Classes don't start until next week, but everyone's attending Dartmouth; except me, of course. It's okay though. The way everyone arranged their schedules means at least two or three of them should be home with me during the day, all the time."

"Yeah, the Doc and Esme have a place of their own, with a couple of spare rooms for visitors, between the other houses," I added in. "Edward, Bella, Nessie and I are in a house to their right, while Rose, Em, Alice and Jazz are in their own, over to our left. Everyone thought it made more sense, help us remain inconspicuous, than having a bunch of college students living in some giant mansion."

"Oh, yeah, you're sure to blend in now. The nine of you - a bunch of pale, yellow eyed Vampires and a giant Wolf going to college in the middle of nowhere. Very low key," Seth laughed at us. He was right. We didn't exactly look like the typical college students there. Hey, at least we were trying.

"Humans tend to see what they want to see, and ignore everything else," Nessie explained. "They might garner some unwanted attention in the beginning but it should fade away after a week or two. And my family are happy they got to enroll as married couples for a change. My mother and father seem the most excited by this. They didn't like having to pretend to be dating when they redid high school in Hoodsport. Of course my Aunts and Uncles are use to it, having done it many times before."

"So the Cullen's are growing up? Weird," Quil snorted, a smirk was threatening to turn into a full smile, but he hid by his hand before I could see it. "I guess no one can be teenagers forever."

"Naw, it's just for this move. Four years from now when we move again, it's back to high school," I gauffed, not looking forward to the idea.

"And they are not the Cullens anymore. Well not all of them. The family decided to switch everything up for this move. My mother and father are currently the only Cullens. Mom wanted to be able to show Grampy Charlie and Nana Renée her diploma, so she kept the Cullen name. Grandpa and Grandma are the Platt's, after my grandmother's maiden name. Aunt Alice and Uncle Jasper are the Brandon's – that was Aunt Alice's last name when she was human. And Aunt Rose and Uncle Emmett took Aunt Rose's maiden name of Hale," Nessie explained.

"How contemporary of them," Leah, rolled her eyes, she didn't seem to see it as humorously as everyone else at the table did. Whatever.

"Wait, how did they create fake identities for themselves? Won't the college notice they don't have any high school transcripts and kick them out? Come to think of it, how did they get in?" Embry asked.

"Embry, the Cullens are loaded. They pay this guy just to supply them with fake papers. I even have a set as Jacob Wolfe, that Bella made me years ago. He can create anything. Fake marriage licenses, passports, high school transcripts, medical records. The works."

"But then... are you a Black anymore, son, or not?" Billy seemed depressed and angry at the revelation. Crap. I hadn't meant to upset him.

"No, dad, I'm still a Black. Wolfe is just for emergencies." I didn't want to tell him that this was probably the last time I would be Jacob Black though. At least for a while. When we moved next it was already suggested that I start thinking of a new name.

"Here look at mine!" Nessie added, taking the attention off of me, while pulling out her passport, so they could see. "They're completely believable. I passed as an eighteen year old going through the airport and courthouse security." She seemed so proud of herself. She was so cute right then that I just had to wrap her in a hug.

"Wow! Vanessa… Wolfe?" Quil said, reading her fake name off of the passport. "Did you two get married and forget to tell us?" He looked stunned. Actually everyone at the table did.

"No," I chuckled. "Like I said they're fake, it just made things like flying here possible."

"So what do you plan on doing all day long while everyone is at school, young lady." Billy turned to question Nessie and change to a less loaded topic, I would imagine.

"I'm going to be spending the year taking college classes online. Hopefully next year I'll be able to join Jacob and the rest of my family at Dartmouth. My grandfather thinks I'll look like I'm eighteen by then and my growth rate will be slow enough that any changes shouldn't be too noticeable."

Eighteen, really? Already? I guess that would be right if she kept up with her current rate of aging. It just hadn't dawned on me before.

"A four year old college student. That's one for the record books," Quil smirked again. "Well I guess you'll be a three year old student this year, but that's online and shouldn't count. It would make the rest of us feel even more inferior than we already do," he shook his head.

Nessie looked hurt. I was about to growl at Quil for hurting her feelings when he started laughing, saying he was just kidding. Luckily for him, Nessie started laughing too.

We talked and reminisced all through dinner. But eventually, after everyone finished eating, it was unfortunately time to go.

"Dad, Leah, guys, I'm sorry to break this up, but if Nessie and I are going to get to the airport in time to make our plane we need to leave now." It would take us at least an hour to drive back to the airport and our flight was at 8pm.

This was it! The last time I was going to see my father for a long time, possibly forever, but I had made my choice. And I was happy with it. I would be spending the rest of my life with Renesmee, the love of my life. I loved my father and would miss him, but I would not be able to live without her.

Leah had been doing a fine job taking care of my Pack, protecting the Tribe, and even coordinating with Sam. She had no intention of giving up being a Wolf any time soon, neither did Seth, he loved it and was holding out hope that if he waited long enough one day he would find his Imprint. Quil of course needed to continue phasing as to not age while he waited for Claire to grow up, but then we all knew he would stop, so he could grow old with her. Embry mentioned staying a Wolf for the time being, but wanted to see how things developed with Colleen. He wanted to protect her and if they were not going to exactly _grow old_ together he wanted to be able to always watch over her, as a Wolf, in case she ever needed him. So it seemed that there would be a constant Wolf presence in La Push, for the near future at least, after all. It wasn't something we had once been so certain about, since the Cullens were no longer nearby to trigger the Wolf gene.

The long term future of Sam's Pack was another matter entirely. Paul had already given up phasing, so he could grow old with Rachel, and I believe they planned on having more kids in the near future. The same was soon to be true for Sam and Jared. Well Jared was planning on staying a Wolf for a few years, I heard that Kim wanted to finish college before getting married and starting a family. So he was planning on taking over Sam's Pack for a couple of years when Sam retired, which he said was probably going to be within the next year. Eventually Collin or Brady would be old enough to take over. The rest of his Pack had been comprised of a bunch of young kids, many of whom gave up their Wolves soon after the Volturi threat was gone. I couldn't blame them. That was a lot of pressure for a twelve year old.

After Nessie and I said our goodbyes and shared some hugs with everyone, we drove back to the airport, where we returned the rental car. Once we boarded our flight, Nessie and I quickly fell asleep but there was a lot of turbulence on the flight, and we were awoken shortly after takeoff. I don't think either of us got any real sleep and it had been a long few days. We started this trip two nights ago, just after 7pm. We had slept on the plane then but not really since. I was exhausted, and was sure Nessie was, too.

With the time difference on the east and west coast we arrived back at the airport in New Hampshire, after one stopover, just after 6am, where Bella and Edward were there to greet us.

* * *

Renesmee's Point of View

* * *

I couldn't wait to get home and go to sleep in my own bed. We had been driving home from the airport for the past thirty-eight minutes and were finally near the house.

"I'm afraid you're going to have to wait just a bit longer," my father said to me.

_What? Why? _

"Alice planned a small birthday party for you, it was supposed to be a surprise. But if you're too tired, or this is too much for you today I can tell her she will need to reschedule."

"And let you deal with the wrath of Aunt Alice? I don't think so. I can handle one birthday party. It's just the family right?" Who else could there be, really?

"Yes, it's just us... and one other," my mother answered.

One other, who else could be here for my birthday? Grandpa Charlie? It must be him. I knew he couldn't stay away from his only daughter. It was, after all, her birthday, as well.

"No honey, I'm afraid it's not your grandfather. Though he does love you very much," my father responded to my assumption.

"It's Nahuel, isn't it? That... _guy's_ come back again, hasn't he?" Jacob spoke up, rather annoyed.

If I hadn't been so sleep deprived I would have thought of that. He always came to visit for my birthday.

I knew Jacob wasn't very fond of Nahuel, but it seemed to be getting worse and worse every time he visited us. I was actually surprised to hear anything from Jacob right now, though. He had been so quiet the entire drive I thought he had fallen asleep.

"How did Nahuel find out where the new house was?"

"I wrote to him some time ago and gave him the new address," my father responded, to which Jacob growled.

It would be nice to see him again, but I wasn't really in the mood to deal with the growing tension between Jacob and Nahuel, at this time.

"Nessie, I'm sorry. If you don't want to see him now, or if he makes you feel uncomfortable, just say the word and he will be asked to leave."

"Actually I'm kinda hungry, I could go for a Nahuel sized snack." I thought he was joking but Jacob's voice held no humor.

"Careful Jacob. He's venomous and could just as easily bite you," my mother warned.

"Like he could touch me," Jacob snickered. I didn't think it was funny.

"He might have some help from Rose if -"

"Both of you stop," I cut off my father. "I'll be fine." I knew Aunt Rosalie didn't like Nahuel either, but no one would ever tell me why. I think I would make them say why, but that would have to wait.

"We're here," my mother finally announced more to break the growing tension than anything else.

"Is there any way we can keep this brief so I can get some sleep? And maybe have cake and presents or whatever Aunt Alice had planned, tomorrow?"

"Of course, sweetheart," my mother assured me.

As soon as we walked into the house Aunt Alice sprang in front of me and I knew my mother would not be right. "And why, may I ask, did I just see myself taking down all of your party decorations?"

"Alice, Nessie and Jacob are extremely tired from their trip. They need to sleep. They're both part human remember," my father explained.

Argh, she looked so disappointed! "You don't need to take them down, just let us take a nap first and then we can celebrate. After all I think 7am is a little early for cake. I haven't even eaten breakfast yet."

"I have a great idea. Why don't the babies go take their naps, then we'll all go out for some birthday bears," Uncle Emmett suggested.

The White Mountains were great for their local wildlife populations of black bears, moose, and white-tailed deer. That did sound better than cake, even if Uncle Emmett was a bit condescending with his suggestion.

"Yum, sounds good," I responded ignoring his attitude. "Aunt Alice as soon as we get back, I promise I'll open my presents, okay?"

She still looked disappointed but agreed.

I was about to head to my room when I saw Nahuel and Jacob in a standoff in the corner. Were they really going to start something already?

"Nahuel, it is good to see you again." I said as I walked over and scooted in between them to try and break up whatever was starting.

"Renesmee I would never miss your birthday, if I could help it. And may I add what a lovely young lady you have grown to be. Happy Third Birthday," he said as he wrapped me in a hug, which Jacob quickly ripped me out of.

What was wrong with a hug? _That was rude. He is just trying to be nice. _I said to him silently with my gift.

"Thank you. I would love to talk to you some more, later. But I'm afraid I need to excuse myself for now." Then turning to Jacob I looked at him expectantly. "Jacob, I'm going to take a nap. Are you coming?" He just nodded in the affirmative, but his eyes never left Nahuels. _Good because I need to talk to you, alone. NOW! _I think I needed to use this time to find out what was going on between those two.

"I'll see everyone later. Thank you for the party." I slightly shouted, on my way to my bedroom, to no one in particular. I needed my bed, and I needed answers from Jacob.

"I'm sorry Nessie," Jacob started apologizing as I climbed into my bed. He had heard the annoyance in my thoughts. Good. But now he was just standing awkwardly by the door. I needed answers, not apologies. I needed to calm down and talk and think rationally.

"Jacob, why don't you come over here so we can talk?" I said as I patted the empty space beside me. "Just for a few minutes." He was unsure what to do. My parents had forbidden us from sleeping in the same bed anymore, but we were still allowed to talk to each other.

"Alright, but you know I can't stay, right?"

"I know."

He came over and sat on the edge of the bed, but that didn't work for me, so I pulled him back so he was nestled into bed beside me. Much better. Now it was time for answers.

"Would you mind telling me what is going on between you and Nahuel?"

Jacob took his eyes off me, turned so his back was flat on the bed and stared at the ceiling before he spoke. "I just don't like him, Nessie." That was a little overly dramatic to not say anything. Unless he was trying to avoid telling me the truth.

"I can see that, but why? He has been nothing but nice to me. Did he do something that I don't know about?"

"I don't like the way he looks at you." He turned his head back to me. "And he may have mentioned something's that he did in his past that I find... disgusting."

"Something worse than feeding from humans?" I questioned.

"Well, no. Not exactly. But..."

"Jacob, he's a Vampire, of course he's killed people in his past. But you know he's trying to change." It looked like Jacob was going to say something, but I kept talking. "Promise me you'll try to be nice to him. He risked his life three years ago, going to Forks to save me from... well, you know who." I shuddered just thinking about the Volturi.

"I know Nessie. If it means that much to you, I'll try. But promise me you will be careful around him. I don't trust him."

Just then my mother opened the door and poked her head in. "Alright you two, time's up. I think Jake needs to be getting back to his own room."

"You heard us in here? I thought Grandma Esme soundproofed everything?" I had barely begun with my questions.

"She did, but that doesn't work on Edward and you know it. I thought it would be healthier for Jake if I came instead of him."

"Thanks, Bells," Jacob said to my mother before placing a kiss on top of my head and dashing off to his room. I think it was more him wanting to get out of this conversation than fear of my father. Jacob was never afraid of him, upsetting me on the other hand...

* * *

Thanks for reading. What do you think?


	5. Rude Awakenings

**The Snow Moon**

* * *

**Year Four, Chapter Five**

**Rude Awakenings**

* * *

Renesmee's Point of View

* * *

After a nice nap I woke feeling refreshed. I hadn't meant to sleep so long, thinking it hadn't been more than a couple of hours, but when I glanced at the clock I saw that it was after one in the afternoon. I slept for almost six hours. Well maybe this would be perfect. Bears for lunch and cake for dessert.

After a quick, but much needed shower and change of clothes, I found my family and Nahuel in the living room.

"The birthday girl finally returns. I thought I was never going to get a meal today," Uncle Emmett joked.

"Sorry I slept so long, I must have been more tired than I thought."

"It's no problem darling. It is your birthday, you can do whatever you please," Grandma Esme said. Technically it wasn't my birthday, anymore, but I guess we were going to pretend. I thought my family would be excited to go hunt but as I looked around the room I realized that everyone seemed a little tense. And there were a few people missing.

"Where is Jacob, Aunt Alice, and Uncle Jasper?"

Almost everyone's eyes in the room darted over to Nahuel, just for a split second, but long enough for me to catch it. And even if I had not, Aunt Rose was giving him a death glare.

"What happened?" I questioned to no one in general.

"Jacob woke up about an hour ago, and he walked in on a bit of a _disagreement_ taking place between Edward and Nahuel. Emotions were already rather high, and a misunderstanding ensued. It was thought best that everyone involved remove themselves from the house, and each other, to give everyone a chance to calm down. Jacob appeared the most agitated so Jasper accompanied him, naturally Alice followed Jasper," Grandpa Carlisle calmly explained.

A disagreement? A misunderstanding? What did that mean? Was Jacob okay? Was he hurt? Is that why he wasn't here, so I wouldn't see that he had been injured? I looked over to Nahuel. He looked fine. But that was no guarantee that they hadn't fought.

"Nahuel went off on his own and returned about half an hour ago. And I took your father for a short run," my mother tried to explain, but that didn't answer any of my questions.

"No one got into a physical altercation Nessie," my father tried to reassure me. "Jasper _dragged_ Jacob out the back door before that could happen."

Finally the truth. At least part of it. "So what then, you all were just screaming at each other?" And I slept through it.

I glared at Nahuel. I wanted answers. He hadn't said a single word this entire time. But he didn't look guilty or upset either. Actually he seemed rather pleased. "And what, may I ask, were the three of you arguing about?" I asked him. "Something stupid I assume."

"Definitely not stupid, I assure you Renesmee. But it is nothing to concern yourself over at this time."

Really? He wasn't going to tell me. I looked around the room and everyone's eyes seemed to be avoiding mine.

"Where are they now?" I asked my father. Unless they had traveled a great distance he would be able to tell from their thoughts where they were. He could hear, in my mind, that I wasn't going to give this up until I found out the truth, and if he would not tell me then I would not stop until I found someone who would, and of course Jacob would. And my father knew that.

"They are about two miles east of here, by the creek, but I don't think it is a good idea to press Jacob about the argument with Nahuel. It would only upset you."

Upset me? More than not knowing? Was it worse that the worst case scenarios already going through my head?

"No not worse, just different. And trust me it is not anything that you need to know."

Need to know? Really? He was starting to sound like my Grampy Charlie. He was fine living in ignorant bliss, I however, was not.

Without another word I ran out the back door and started following their scents to the creek. When I arrived I was confronted with a scene I wasn't expecting. I knew Jacob was upset, about something, but hadn't thought it would be this bad. What happened? Trees were knocked down everywhere. I didn't even realize he could do that. Well, he was currently in his Wolf form, which he was stronger in, but still he must have been extremely agitated. I had assumed Uncle Jasper would have tried using his gift to try and calm him down, with no affect. Or maybe he let him get it out of his system first.

At least Jacob seemed calmer now, just laying on the ground, staring at the water. I didn't see Uncle Jasper and Aunt Alice, but could smell that they were nearby.

"Jacob?" I called as I approached him from behind. I didn't want to spook him but I don't think he had even noticed my arrival. He hadn't moved. That alone was unusual for him. But as I spoke his name again he slowly lifted his head and looked at me. A few seconds later he phased back.

I had seen scraps of clothing scattered around the backyard, that he had been wearing when he phased. Now all he had on was the special shorts Aunt Alice had made him, that expanded as he phased into a Wolf.

"You're awake," he blankly said as he stared at something that was apparently extremely interesting on my shoes.

"Yes. Have you calmed down enough that you can talk?"

"I think so," he sighed. "I'm sorry Nessie. I didn't mean to ruin your birthday, again."

"You didn't ruin anything. This has nothing to do with my birthday. I fully intend to go back home with you and have cake, ice cream and presents. But first I would like to hear, from you, what happened? All my family will tell me was that you, dad, and Nahuel had an _argument_. But I can see that it must have been more than that. Otherwise the forest would not be destroyed."

"It wasn't an argument exactly. But I don't think I can tell you. You know I can't lie to you because of the Imprint, but please believe me when I tell you that it's not something I think you would want to know, and not something I would want to tell you."

This was getting irritating, everyone was treating me like a child. "Jacob, I'm a big girl. Whatever it is I'm sure I can handle it, and shouldn't I be the one to determine whether I want to know something or not. Now would you like to tell me what happened." I hadn't wanted to take it out on Jacob, but the anger seeped into my voice anyway.

"Alright, but please let me know if you want me to stop, at any point."

I just nodded.

He took a deep breath before continuing. "When I woke up I headed into the living room where Nahuel and your father were having a... heated discussion. It seems Edward had seen something in Nahuel's mind that he found more than a little unsettling. You know how Nahuel has been trying to adopt your families vegetarian lifestyle, with limited success?"

Again I nodded.

"Well it seems he has slipped more than once recently. He claimed that he didn't want to have any _accidents_ while here, so just outside of town he found a young girl... a teenager really, to head off any desires he might develop while here."

"He ate someone... in the area?" I was shocked. He promised he would not do that. There were plenty of animals around. And in the past, he would at least travel far away, which was still bad, but it would not draw attention back to us. But was that really what all the fuss was about? Mistakes happen. We can't expect him to be perfect, and his reasoning, while flawed, showed that he was trying to act in our best interest. "Is that it?"

"Isn't that enough? Nessie you need to take this more seriously."

"No Jacob, you misunderstand me. I meant to ask if he bit anyone else? Was it just the one girl, or did he feed from more people around here?"

"No, it was just the one girl." The look on his face told me that there was still more but Jacob didn't look like he was going to be very forthcoming on his own.

"Are you upset about him killing the girl or because he did it so close to where we live?"

Jacob just shook his head.

"Then what?"

"And according to Edward the girl is… was tall, beautiful, with deep brown eyes and long curly hair." He started growling now and I realized this was the real cause of everyone's anger.

Jacob saw the girl Nahuel fed from as me That was the only thing that would make Jacob this upset. "Jacob, Nahuel isn't going to hurt me. He's a friend, and a fellow half-Vampire."

"Nessie, why do you think I get so upset when he's around? I don't like the way he looks at you. Sometimes I think he sees you as lunch, or more -"

More? What did that mean? But his voice just trailed off and he never finished his thought.

"It was probably just a coincidence… what the girl looked like He must have just grabbed the first unfortunate person he saw. How could he control who he came across randomly in the woods?"

"If it was random, I'm not so sure. He could have targeted someone who specifically looked like you and led them out there. And he has admitted how he still slips over and over -" he continued, before I cut him off.

"Could you look at it another way. If the girl was truly a surrogate for me, and I'm not saying that she was, but then he possibly did it to protect me... in his own way. So he would not be tempted when he was here."

"Nessie, _please_. I know you think he's your friend, but please listen to me. He's not good. He's not like your family. _He_ is what I was made to fight, to kill. Nahuel's a monster. I have tried to put up with him coming here every year, for your birthday, because he helped us right after you were born. But he _eats_ people and he doesn't have a problem with it. In fact he likes doing it. It's not an ethical problem for him. The only reason he is trying to change is to be closer to you... and your family."

"Isn't that enough, Jacob? Who cares what his reason is for wanting to change. As long as the end result is him not killing innocent people. And maybe if he lives a vegetarian lifestyle long enough it will become his preferred diet."

"But what about the girl? She's still dead." He was getting more and more upset, so I grabbed his arms to calm him down. When he closed his eyes and started taking some deep breaths I knew it was working.

"I know, and that's tragic. But it is not like he's the only one who's ever slipped. My father, Uncle Emmett, Aunt Alice, Uncle Jasper, even Grandma Esme have all succumb to human blood in the past. You don't have a problem with them do you?" His eyes popped open and I realized my mistake. "I mean… I know you did in the past, when you first became a Wolf, but now I thought you realized how hard it is for them to resist human blood, and how hard they try." His eyes softened, just a little.

"I know that Nessie, but it's more of the reason behind why they resist human blood. They see people as _people_, not as a food source. HE doesn't. How can he be good if his motivation is not just?"

"Actually I think my family see humans as food _and_ people" then I added with my gift, _so do I_. I didn't want to admit it out loud, especially to Jacob, and especially now. Would he hate me as much as he seemed to hate Nahuel? I hoped not and maybe it would help him see how hard it was for him.

Looking at Jacob, it seemed that I messed up again and he heard that too.

"Don't you see Nessie? That's why I could never hate you. You would never trade one person's life for another, like he did. Of course I'm glad he took steps to not hunt here, but the woods are full of animals, they may not be as tasty, but he wouldn't starve."

"Sometimes it's hard to resist Jacob. You know that. You saw what happened between me and my Grampy Charlie. I would never intentionally want to eat him, but that day back in Forks, when I almost did, it was like I couldn't help myself. I had no control." The look on Jacob's face told me everything. He didn't hate me, but comparing myself to Nahuel did nothing to sway him in Jacob's eyes, like I hoped it would. But I kept trying.

"And Nahuel has had one hundred fifty years of feeding from people. More than almost anyone in my family. It must be incredibly hard for him. Just look at Uncle Jasper. He lived off of human blood for over a century, and he still struggles, and that's with his gift, _helping_ him feel the pain he is inflicting on the humans when he killed them. Uncle Jasper had to live with that for every life he took, and it was still hard for him. It still is. Please don't be so hard on Nahuel. He is trying, he will get better, I know he will."

I don't know if he believed me but out of the corner of my eye I saw Aunt Alice and Uncle Jasper running back towards the house.

"Let's go home before Aunt Alice has a meltdown. Do you think you will be okay?" I asked. "He's still there." I was hoping that Alice headed back because she saw something in a vision that indicated everything would be okay, well at least that things would not get worse anyway.

Jacob just nodded so I grabbed his hand and we started running back to the house.


	6. Unexpected Announcements

**The Snow Moon **

* * *

**Year Four, Chapter six**

**Unexpected Announcements**

* * *

Renesmee's Point of View

* * *

My mother, Aunts, Uncles, and I were gathered in the music room a week after my birthday, at our house listening to my father's latest composition on the piano when Nahuel joined us.

Things had calmed down since last week, Nahuel agreed to redouble his efforts of sticking to a Vegetarian diet while here, or would be asked to leave. That seemed to satisfy everyone, except Jacob, who only agreed to try to be civil to him… at least when in front of me. I think it was the best I was going to get out of him at the moment.

When my father was done playing Nahuel came over to talk to me. "I'm surprised not to see your Wolf joined at your hip, Renesmee. I didn't think he was allowed to leave your side," he said a bit too condescendingly for my liking, and I told him as much through my expression.

"He went with Grandma Esme grocery shopping. Apparently there is some kind of condiment he had to have. He couldn't remember the name, but said he would 'know it when he saw it'. They should be back soon." Though personally I thought it was just an excuse to get out of hearing my father play.

"Ah, then my timing is perfect. I was hoping to speak to you, without him." Then Nahuel turned to my parents. "And with you as well? In private, please. I have some important matters to discuss with you."

The four of us excused ourselves and made our way to my parents bedroom. My father must have picked up something in Nahuel's mind that he didn't like because I heard a slight growl from him before Nahuel even said a word. What could be wrong that would cause my father to do that?

My father closed the door once we were all inside and then Nahuel began to speak as I sat down on my parents bed, next to my mother. She seemed relaxed, but must not know what Nahuel was going to say anymore than I did. My father was another matter entirely. He never left his spot in front of the door, crossing his arms, looking like a security guard blocking the exit. Did he think one of us was going to make a run for it?

"I realize you're not fully grown yet but I'm afraid what I'm about to tell you cannot wait. You see there is a time constraint you probably are not aware of, but I feel I need to bring it to your attention."

My father's eyes looked like they were going to pop out of his head, whatever Nahuel was thinking caught him completely by surprise, he went from growling anger, to shock. Weird. But that didn't stop Nahuel from whatever he was going to say next.

"As you know, when you reach seven years of age you will discontinue aging and your body will become permanently frozen. Everything will cease to change... including your reproductive organs." He said the last part so softly that I almost missed it. "If you ever wanted to have a child of your own, it would need to be within the next few years."

I just sat there, unmoving, completely still. I was shocked! Literally. A child? But I was still a child myself, physically at least, wasn't I?

But it did settle one question that always confused me; at least now it finally made sense why none of Nahuels sisters were off producing dozens and dozens of offspring over the decades. I wasn't sure of their exact ages but I knew at least two of them were older than Nahuels one hundred and fifty years.

"This brings me to my second topic. Renesmee, as you know I'm the only male half-Vampire to exist, that we know of. No others have come forward to the Volturi. And you're the only female half-Vampire that exists, other than my sisters. Over the past few years I have watched you grow into a beautiful young woman and have enjoyed spending time with you during my visits."

"Um, thank you. I have enjoyed your company as well, Nahuel." Where was he going with this?

"That's very good to hear. I have observed that it is the custom in your family to do as humans do on most things. Work, school, marriage, even celebrating holidays," he chuckled a bit under his breath before recomposing himself. "I have observed that every mated pair in your family has gone through a marriage ceremony, so I have come here with the intent to marry you."

What? Marry Nahuel, really? What about my Jacob? I turned to ask my mother, "Do I have to get married?"

She seemed as shocked as me, but had also frozen, the way Vampires tend to do when under stress, and didn't speak up.

But a smile broke out across Nahuel's face, obviously misunderstanding what I meant. "Of course not Renesmee, we can live like other Vampires, as mates. We would not have to go through the pretence of a human wedding if you didn't want to."

That did it. My father grabbed Nahuel by the back of his neck and started to drag him out of the room, calling "Emmett, Jasper!" as he went, They instantly appeared, and grabbed each of Nahuel's arms and helped my father, no questions asked.

"My daughter will not be doing that, with you or anyone," he growled, the three of them taking Nahuel away... somewhere. I was pretty sure they wouldn't hurt him.

"We won't … much. We just need to have a little chat," I heard my father say as they made their way down the stairs and out the front door.

After a minute, once Nahuel was gone, well at least out of earshot, my mother came out of her shocked state and began to speak, albeit rather reluctantly.

"Well that was unexpected. I wish he would have come and spoken to Edward and I beforehand about this. But now that he has, it seems you have a decision to make. Your father and I had hoped you would wait to get married until you were much older, but now it seems, if you want to have children, we'll need to let you go a lot sooner than we planned."

I had a million questions. "Mom, what do you think I should do? What if I don't want to marry Nahuel?"

"Then you don't have to," she smiled, for the first time since coming in here "It's your decision who you want to spend your life with, honey. This has to be your decision. But take your time. You're only three years old. You have four more years before your time runs out. Don't jump into anything."

"I think we can all agree that you're too young to be having a baby at this time, Renesmee," my father reappeared from wherever he went with Nahuel. Was he okay? I didn't see or hear him, or either of my Uncles. I know he said he wouldn't but did my father lose control and hurt him? Or kill him? Would he? He didn't seem too happy with Nahuel's news or how he presumed we would be mated.

"Don't worry, Nahuel is alive. For now," he chuckled. "While I didn't exactly appreciate the way he went about stating his intentions today, his feelings for you were not news to me."

What? "You expected this from him?" What about Jacob? Didn't my father want me to end up with him? Of course not. He was probably hoping I would end up with Nahuel. He must have hated Jacob, at least at one point, for trying to take my mother away from him and now the same thing was happening with his daughter.

"That's not true, Nessie. Your mother and I would be very happy whether you married Jacob or Nahuel, when you're _older_. As long as whomever _you_ choose loves you, and you love them. We only want you to be happy."

I guess I would need to think about things. I wonder what Jacob would think of all of this? Was he aware of Nahuel's intentions? Of course he was. That must be the real cause of the discord between the two of them. They must have been competing with each other, over me, these past years without my awareness.

"Renesmee, I don't think you should tell Jacob about your um... _deadline_, yet. No matter what your decision is. If you could see into his mind you would understand. His thoughts are already tormented enough about you growing up too fast. This would not help his state of mind," my father offered.

I knew he was right. Jacob would flinch, or worse, at even the most innocent of my suggestions, that his mind would twist into something more.

I needed to get away and think on my own for a bit, which my parents were luckily fine with. I don't think I could rationally talk about this with them right now. Well, I believe my mother actually wanted me to stay but my father whispered something to her and convinced her to let me go. I'm sure he was able to see what a jumble my thoughts were at the moment.

Once I was alone in my room I began my deliberations. It seemed like I had three things I needed to think about and decide rather quickly.

**One:** Did I want children? One child? More than one? If I wanted more than one I would need to start right away, I would assume. Human babies took nine months to gestate, but my mother had only been pregnant for about a month with me. Unfortunately I don't think there was any way to know how long a baby of mine would take to grow before I gave birth, if I choose to do so.

**Two:** Did I want to get married? My parents seemed to assume I would, at least eventually. But on this topic did Nahuel have a point? Why bother to get married. Vampires mated for life, why would you need paperwork to legitimize it? Mr. Jenks fabricated our paperwork all the time. None of the families papers were real, especially mine. And the two wedding ceremonies I had seen didn't seem like that big of a deal. There was no fairytale events taking place like the made up ones in movies and books. It hardly seemed worth all of the trouble.

**Three:** Did I want to spend my life with Nahuel or my Jacob? I knew it was between the two of them. Well up until an hour ago I just assumed it was me and Jacob that would be mated eventually.

But should I think beyond Jacob and Nahuel? If I was going to choose someone to spend forever with did I want to limit my choice to just the two of them?

All of the male Vampires I knew were related to me and married. I wasn't about to start searching the world for some random nomad.

I couldn't even imagine being with one of the un-Imprinted Wolves from Sam or Jacob's Packs, that wasn't a possibility. Not only did I not like any of them in that way but they would just Imprint on someone else, eventually. And I couldn't even begin to think about what that would do to Jacob.

Then there were human boys. But of the few I had met over the years they all seemed ridiculous and would die eventually, anyway. That would be a waste of time. Also, there were my families strong _opinions_ regarding not changing someone unless they were already near death. I doubt some random tragic car accident victim would do it for me.

I kept going back to the simple fact that I had always assumed it would be me and Jacob. While I had never thought of Nahuel in that way, clearly he had. It did make sense, what he said. There was no one else like us. Rationally, I agreed with him. It was strange though that he had never said anything before. Of course I was too young on his previous visits. I guess I should at least give his offer some consideration.

But what about my Jacob? He Imprinted on me. I love him, he loves me. We belonged together. Would he be satisfied still being my best friend if I became Nahuel's mate? Yes. I knew that. He couldn't leave me, I was his Imprint. So I guess my real choice was to either be a _regular_ couple with Jacob or have some sort of three way love triangle; a romantic love with Nahuel and keep my platonic love with my Jacob.

But would Nahuel want to share, would Jacob really be able to just settle for my friendship... forever? Would I want that? I loved Jacob too much to lose him. He had to be a part of my life, always. But how? Friend or Lover?

Ouch, I think I was getting my first headache, ever!

I decided to make a list. One for each of them with Pro's and Con's. Maybe that would clarify things.

_**Jacob – Pro**_

_I love him_

_He loves me_

_He Imprinted on me_

_He's my soulmate_

_It's painful when we're apart_

_He keeps my nightmares away_

_He helped save me from the Volturi_

_He saved my "human" mom more than once_

_He made me a beautiful chess set_

_& is learning to play, just for me_

_His "Job" is to protect humans and Me_

_He already lives with me and my family_

_We love working on cars together,_

_and doing everything together_

_He is my perfect hunting partner_

_He would give his life for me, and I him_

_We have the same taste in music,_

_movies, sports, books,... everything_

_He is my best friend_

_He has always been there for me and always will_

_He is extremely handsome, muscular, & very tall, 6'7"_

_I loved his Wolf self too_

_He is always warm_

_He smells amazing_

_**Jacob - Con**_

_He already rejected me once due to my age -_

_Will he ever see me as an adult?_

_My family doesn't like his scent_

_He doesn't like their scents_

_He had a "relationship" with my mother_

_Wolves are natural enemies to Vampires_

_He exists to destroy Vampires_

_**Not Sure a Pro or Con?**_

_Imprints to create stronger Wolves? Maybe_

* * *

_**Nahuel – Pro**_

_He helped save me from the Volturi, even though_

_he didn't know me - shows selflessness_

_He's the same half-Vampire species as me,_

_the only other one on the planet_

_He is trying hard to change his diet after 150 years_

_Good looking_

_**Nahuel - Con**_

_Lives in South America_

_Horrible at chess_

_Never seems to think too far into the future_

_Previously hunted humans_

_Struggles with vegetarian diet –_

_occasionally still slips_

_I don't know him that well_

_Only 5'7"_

If I picked Jacob, that would probably be the end of Nahuel's visits. Would I be okay with that? Could I live my life without him in it? Did I even care if he was around or not?

My one consolation was that if I picked Nahuel I could still remain friends with Jacob, with no change really to our current relationship, which I liked. And what about our current relationship. Did I even want it to change? I once thought I did, but it seems so perfect the way it is, could it really get better?

However, I didn't appreciate how Nahuel had come here assuming his and my mating was a foregone conclusion. Then again didn't I think the same of Jacob and myself?

In the end, looking over the lists, I realized I didn't know Nahuel well enough to make an informed decision. And I would need to get to know him much better before I did.

But did I have to make a decision right now? I guess I would soon if I wanted a child. But again… did I?

I knew that a possible reason for Imprinting was to reproduce with someone who would create the strongest Wolf offspring. And Nahuel made his announcement in order to begin mating with me right away, specifically to create children together.

I was starting to feel like nothing beyond a baby maker. I was more than that, surely. Was taking the time needed to choose a lifelong mate more or less important than meeting my baby deadline?

NO, I refuse to be rushed into anything! Especially if I made the wrong decision, simply because I felt pressured to pick someone quickly in order reproduce before I was no longer able to.

I know Nahuel wanted a child, my child. Did Jacob? He had always told me it was my choice if I decided to have our relationship turn romantic, "once I was older", he was forever reminding me of that part. But did HE want children? The only time he ever brought that part of Imprinting up was when he mentioned Sam's theory. And we never actually talked about it beyond that.

Come to think of it, he had never mentioned children, as a positive or negative. Did he not even think about having children someday? Perhaps it was because he still saw me as a child. Or was it also due to the Imprinting. He gave me whatever I wanted. But I had never thought of children, well not until now. So had he never wanted them, simply because I never wanted them? I wonder what his thoughts on children were? Was there a way to find out what he wanted without the Imprint telling him what he, well I, wanted?

Perhaps my mother knew. They were together, sort of, before he had Imprinted. But would a couple of teenagers really talk about wanting to have children someday? It was a long shot, but I had to ask.

I jumped off of my bed in search of her and found her in her usual spot in the reading room.

"Mom, um, I have a question to ask you. It's a little strange, though."

"I know sweetie. Your father heard you. He told me what you came here to ask me, right before he left. He thought we could use some privacy."

"Oh." Of course he heard me. I wonder how upsetting my thoughts were for him. I knew he thought I was too young for this sort of thing even more than Jacob did. And that was a lot. But this wasn't up to him. It was my decision. I'll have to talk to him later and make sure he's doing okay.

"So, um … did you and Jacob ever talk about that when you were in high school?" I asked nervously.

"Nessie the Imprint didn't change Jacob's mind. The two of you are so close because you're soulmates. It didn't change what he wants. You're connected in a way no one else on the planet is."

After a short pause she continued. "Think of it this way. He doesn't like sushi. You know this. He's had it before. He definitely doesn't like it. If someday you try it, love it, and want to eat it all the time, Jake's not suddenly going to start liking Sushi just because you do."

"But this is not a physical thing. It is a mental one. Didn't the Imprint change his thinking?"

"He wants what you want because you're so alike, not because he is being forced into something. If he had never Imprinted on you his wants would still be the same as they are now. Sometimes the Imprint pulls him in the right direction, to protect you, but it doesn't take away his free will. He's still the same Jake I knew before you were born."

"I'm still not so sure. I don't think he ever would have wanted to move across the country, away from his father and Pack, into a house full of Vampires if the Imprint didn't tell him too, or if it didn't hurt to be away from me," I countered.

"That's true. But the underlying reason is why he moved. He could have argued for you, if not all of us, to stay. But he moved to be with the person he loved. If he was never a Wolf and fell in love with some random girl who happened to live in England or somewhere, I have no doubt he would have moved for her as well. If he was truly in love. It is all about choices. He chose love over obligation."

"Back when he first became a Wolf," she continued, "Sam used his Alpha voice on Jake and ordered him to stay away from me, and not reveal the whole Wolf secret. And you know how well that worked out. Before long Jake was trying to work around Sam's gag order, as best he could, to get me to remember the Quileute stories of the Wolves he had told me the year before. Our friendship was too important to him. And he would do anything so we could be together again."

"Okay, that's good to hear, well not the part of him willing to do anything to be with you," I joked. "But that he still had his own mind." I decided against pointing out the _slight_ flaw in her logic, again. Jacob probably risked everything to have my mother with him back when he first phased because of the same Imprint bond that makes him want to be with me now. We already discussed how it was already there, just weaker, back then between them; well Jacob, and the part of my mother, that would turn into me.

Maybe there was something else in Jacobs past where he thought and acted a certain way, that was completely similar (or different) than he does now. Perhaps I could give Billy a call and ask him.

"You should talk to Jake, and see what he wants regarding children. Just because he Imprinted on you, I'm not sure you both agree about everything one hundred percent of the time. If one of you wants children and the other doesn't it's something you should work out beforehand. It might affect your decision regarding who you end up choosing."

"I never thought of that. Thanks, mom," I said as I turned to leave and walked back to my room.

Would that really affect my decision? If I wanted children and Jacob didn't, would Nahuel win by default? On the other hand, if I decided that I didn't want children and likewise neither did Jacob, would I choose him just for that reason alone? But what if he did want children?

I have a feeling I was _somehow_ going to have to have a very awkward conversation with Jacob, while not revealing the meaning behind why.

* * *

Thanks for reading. Please review. And tell your friends to read too. :)


	7. Mating Questions

**The Snow Moon**

* * *

**Year Four, Chapter Seven**

**Mating Questions**

* * *

Renesmee's Point of View

* * *

Jacob started school last week with the rest of the family. I didn't like having him gone so long, but at least it was less time than before when he was away at Hoodsport High School. Now he was home all the time on the weekends, and away for just over six hours on Mondays. They were the worst, but again not as bad as before. Tuesday afternoons he left for three hours, then was back home all day Wednesdays, before being gone all morning on Thursdays and Fridays, returning just before and after lunch those days.

My family all had different schedules in college so they were always popping in and out of the house at various times. When Jacob was away and my family, who were home, but off doing other things – reading, play fighting, "couples activities", or whatever, I decided to use that time to start to get to know Nahuel a bit better.

I had been going over my choices between Jacob and Nahuel for a little over two weeks when something occurred to me that probably should have been pretty obvious. Vampires mated for life, or eternity, or whatever. But I was only a half-Vampire. What if I was more human in that regard. What if I never settled down with one person? Well one Wolf or one half-Vampire. What if my feelings switched back and forth, continuously over the centuries, between Jacob and Nahuel? That seemed like a strange concept, it was weird, hopefully highly unlikely, gross even... Maybe... Possibly?

But what about my Jacob? I was _it_ for him since he Imprinted on me. I loved him, but did I love him in that way? I thought I did last year, but was I right? Was I too young? Jacob and my parents thought so, for different reasons of course. Am I still too young?

And if I didn't end up picking Jacob, he would never be with anyone else. In a way Embry had it easy. If his Imprint never chooses him he would have sixty to seventy years of platonic friendship until she died and then it would be over. But Jacob would be stuck in friend limbo forever, literally.

But, then again, what if I did choose him, initially, but then one day changed my mind, or heart rather, after fifty years? I could never hurt him like that. But would I be able to stay with him if I developed feelings for Nahuel, or someone else entirely? Or what if I just stopped loving him, even if there wasn't anyone else?

Nahuel was over one hundred fifty years old and he had yet to choose a permanent mate. Maybe half-Vampires didn't do that. I think I needed to have a conversation with him and get some answers, if he even had any. Maybe one or more of his sisters had found a permanent mate, like full Vampires did.

I had to work my courage up, but the next week I asked Nahuel to take a walk with me, while everyone else at home was otherwise occupied. Jacob was still at school along with Aunt Rose and Uncle Emmett, but should be returning in two hours. I think that should give me plenty of time to find out what I needed before Jacob returned. I didn't want him hearing my conversation and worry needlessly.

We were taking a leisurely stroll through the woods a few miles behind the house. I had hoped to run but Nahuel thought that, since it was such a nice day, he wanted to walk. Time was going to be cut close now, but I was sure Jacob would be fine if I returned home a few minutes after him.

We were going to a little clearing I had found on one of my many hunting trips with Jacob. I wanted to get far enough away from the house that not only would no one hear us, but my father, who was home, would not be able to read our minds, at least not until we returned and thought about what was said. I needed a little privacy at least while I was talking, with no interruptions from my father or anyone else.

"Renesmee, have you asked me out here because you have come to a decision about us?" Nahuel looked so happy, but I had no intention of leading him on.

"Actually I had some questions regarding how half-Vampires mate."

He started chuckling. Why was he laughing at me? "You're not that sheltered are you? Surely you know how sex works?"

"Yes, I'm aware of how it works." I didn't mean to, I wanted to keep this straightforward and serious, but rolled my eyes at the absurdity of his statement. "That wasn't what I was referring to. I was wondering if you knew if we were more or less similar to humans or full Vampires?" He looked confused so I elaborated. "Are we capable of choosing one mate for life, forever, like my family? I know some of our cousins in Denali, Tanya and Kate, use to have many... um, partners over the centuries but never found a permanent mate, until Kate met Garret, that is. Now the two of them are mated together forever. Is it the same with us?"

"I too, have had many temporary _companions_ over the years," he admitted, "none of whom resulted in becoming my mate, but from what I have heard from my sisters, once we find out mate, it is permanent."

I breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you, you don't know how good that is to hear."

"Did you have any more questions for me?"

"Not at this time, but it's nice to know I have someone to go to if I do."

"You can always come to me, Renesmee. Just let me know if you need anything."

"Thank you, Nahuel," I said with a smile. This was such a relief to learn I would not be hurting either of them if my feelings were not constant.

"Well then, now that that's settled, shall we begin?"

Begin? Begin what?

Nahuel grabbed my hand and moved in to kiss me. He wasn't moving fast, and his eyes were closed, so I was able to quickly sidestepped him and blocked his next attempt with my hand but he still had managed to get his arms around me.

"Nahuel, I think I gave you the wrong idea. I realize I'm the only other half Vampire that's known to exist, but I can't do this. I'm not ready for this yet, with you or anyone else," I said as I pushed out of his grip.

Suddenly my giant, four legged, russet protector was in front of me and growling at Nahuel. How did he get here so fast, and how did he know there was anything wrong? I was a little worried about what he had heard, but that was a problem for later. He was about to pounce.

"Jacob, calm down. I'm fine."

Nahuel took a single step back. "I'm sorry, Renesmee, when you asked me about us mating I assumed you meant -" He never got to finish his sentence though, Jacob began creeping towards him, growling louder and louder with every word he spoke.

"JACOB!" I half shouted, half pleaded. "Stop that, and phase back now. You're not helping. Nahuel is not a threat."

Thankfully he did as I asked and phased back to human. Unfortunately that didn't stop his attack on Nahuel.

"What _EXACTLY_ do you think you're doing?" Jacob screamed at Nahuel as he knocked him to the ground. At 6'7" Jacob was a full foot taller than Nahuel's 5'7" frame. He wasn't as strong as when he was in Wolf form, but still much stronger than a normal human. I wasn't sure which one would win if a fight broke out now, Nahuel not being as strong as a full Vampire either.

"This does not concern _YOU_. This is between Renesmee and myself," Nahuel yelled back, as he sprang back onto his feet.

"EVERYTHING regarding Renesmee _concerns_ me! And I heard your little _chat_ with her. I don't remember her EVER saying she was interested in doing _anything_ with you."

I didn't want to find out who would win in a fight between the two. "Jacob," I said, stepping in between them, "could you give me a minute, alone, with Nahuel?"

"Nessie, I -"

"Please?" I looked straight into his eyes, to show him how serious I was.

"Alright, if you're sure, but I'll be right over there," he relented, pointing over to a tree less than one hundred feet away, then turned to Nahuel and added a warning. "But if you even try to lay one hand on her, remember that I'll be back in an instant and bite it off."

Jacob walked away. This was going to be awkward. I didn't want to alienate either of them and knew Jacob would still be able to hear and see everything that was happening between Nahuel and myself. I would need to choose my words very carefully.

"Nahuel, I'm sorry if I gave you with the wrong impression. I only meant to speak with you in order to see if you had any answers to my questions. I needed to know what to expect regarding my choices for the future. But as has been pointed out to me, repeatedly, by my family and Jacob, I'm only three, or fifteen years old, depending on how you look at it, after all. Both are too young to choose to mate and begin _that_ part of my life.

"I do not think you're too young. I do remember being your age, you know. And I have noticed the change in your aroma. You smell even lovelier than you did before."

My scent? What was different about the way I smelled? And what did that have to do with anything? "Yes well... also, as Jacob pointed out, I didn't exactly say I wanted to start anything with you right now. We don't even know each other very well, after all."

"Renesmee, we have forever to get to know each other, but the time before you stop aging is dwindling quickly."

"Not that quickly. I still have four years. Is that the only reason you're interested in me?"

"No, I genuinely like you, and believe we can grow to love each other someday. You're a fascinating young woman, Renesmee."

"How can you say that? You barely know me," I questioned again.

"I think I know you pretty well. What did you think I was doing coming all the way here, and to Washington before this, for your birthday every year. I wanted to spend time with you, to get to know you, so I could become your mate as soon as possible."

I heard Jacob growl lightly, but I still needed to talk to Nahuel so I shot him a warning look. Nahuel wasn't doing anything to me, or saying anything I didn't already know.

"I'm sorry to disappoint... your visit." Did I really know Nahuel? I _knew_ Jacob, and my mother and father, and my Aunts and Uncles, and grandparents. I saw them every day of my life. But Nahuel? I guess I knew him as well as the Wolves in La Push, but did I really KNOW them? I knew their names, and a few odd facts about them, we hung out together a little. But I didn't know everything about them, like I did with my family.

I wonder how well humans got to know each other before they mated? Well, actually they didn't mate for life, like Vampires did, but I believe they did briefly get married or enter committed relationships for a small number of years before dying, getting divorced, or simply moving on to someone else. And from what I learned from books, poems, music, television shows, and movies they did sometimes engage in the physical aspects of relationships even before getting to know each other very well at all.

"If you do not believe you're currently old enough then I must respect your wishes, for now," he sighed. "But please keep the time constraint in mind. I know we would be good together. I think, right now it would be best if I gave you some space," he said, eyeing Jacob. "I shall be in Carlisle and Esme's guest room. Please come find me if you change your mind. I do not believe I'll be too welcome closer to you, presently. . Not until your protector has had a chance to cool down. But Renesmee, as the deadline approaches I'll be more persistent. Please think about what I have said."

Hmmm, I might need to add "possessive" and "arrogant" to Nahuel's cons list.

As Nahuel jogged back to the house, Jacob came back over to me.

"So, you and Nahuel?" Jacob snickered. Though he would never admit it I could swear I heard a little unease in his voice. He was trying to not act too upset around me but he was obviously still disturbed no matter how hard he was trying to hide it.

"Oh yeah, sure. I absolutely wanted my first time to be right here in the woods." Jakes eyes shot open wider than I thought possible. Oops, wrong thing to say. "What's wrong with him. Really? What was he thinking?" I chuckled, trying to lighten the mood.

"I told you to watch out for him," Jacob lightly chuckled back. "But seriously Renesmee, I'm so sorry that I didn't get to you sooner. What were you doing out here all alone with him, without me? He's dangerous."

"I needed to ask him something in private. It's okay, really. He wouldn't have hurt me... and I can handle myself."

"I know, I saw, but it's my job to protect you, sweetheart."

"You don't need to protect me from Nahuel."

Jacob looked shocked and started stammering, "You don't... um, do you like him, did you want to... err, should I not have -"

What? He would just give me up, not that we were together, but if I wanted to be with Nahuel... just like that? I know he had mentioned it to me before, during the whole Embry Imprint fiasco, but I wasn't sure how much I believed him. Imprinting could be strange and possibly _helpful_ in this situation... depending on what I decided.

"No. it's fine." I was getting irritated though. "I don't really even know him. He seems to think we're destined to be together but I always thought you and I were suppose to end up together. But it doesn't even matter right now because -"

"You're still too young," Jacob finished for me.

"Among other things."

"Well it's your choice who you want. But don't let him pressure you into anything. If you don't want to be with him, you don't have to, and I'm not just saying that because of… well... you know."

"Yeah, I know. Thanks, Jacob. You know I love you, right?"

"I love you too, sweetheart. So now would you like to tell me why Nahuel is so concerned about when you stop aging?"

"Oh... um... It's a long story." I guess I would have to tell him now. I was hoping to wait. He already had a problem with my lack of advanced years. Informing him of my reproductive deadline was something I wasn't looking forward to. Oh well. "Nahuel came to me and my parents a couple of weeks ago and asked to speak to us about some-"

"Renesmee?" Of course my father was here.

"Hi Dad. I assume you read Nahuel's mind when he returned to the house and saw what happened?"

"Yes, I did. Are you okay?" He seemed agitated but not overly angry.

"Of course. Is he?" Did my family do anything to him? If Jacobs reaction was any indication he might need Grandpa Carlisle's help.

My father started chuckling a bit too menacingly to himself hearing me think that. I however didn't think it was funny.

"He's currently in one piece, but it was decided that it was in _his_ best interest, for the time being, to return to Huilen and his own home, for awhile. Emmett and Rose are already driving him to the airport."

He then turned and looked a bit... queasy?

"Renesmee, isn't there still something you need to talk to Jacob about? I'll give the two of you some time." He pointedly looked at me with a raised eyebrow.

I knew what he was referring to, I had been avoiding it up until this point. The baby question. I had hoped I could ask him his position on children without talking about my deadline, but after what he overheard from Nahuel, and what my father just said, would he figure it out?

"Thanks dad!" _Why did you do that? You were the one who suggested we not tell Jacob about my deadline until I at least _appeared_ a bit older, physically, in the hopes that it would distress him less. Did you change your mind or was Jacob ready to hear this now?_

"Don't worry Nessie, stick to your original plan. It will be fine," he whispered into my ear when he hugged me before taking off back into the house. I hoped he was right.

"You need to talk to me about something?" Jacob questioned.

"Yeah, um -" How was I going to start this?

Jacob could clearly see and feel my distress. "Nessie, you know you can talk to me about anything. Whatever it is."

"I know, my Jacob. I was just thinking how best to start. It's not really important right now, it's just that the whole Nahuel mating _thing_ got me thinking."

"Nessie, I saw the look Edward gave you. Are you trying to break it to me that you do actually want to be with... HIM... someday?" Jacob looked like a sad little puppy. But he was looking directly into my eyes. I could see the love he had for me, that he just wanted me to be happy. But I also saw the disappointment... and fear?

"No, that's not what I wanted to tell you." Technically I wasn't lying. I hadn't made a decision one way or the other. He seemed to relax a bit.

"Okay, then what is it, honey?"

"It's silly really." I decided to pass it off as a whim I was toying with. Would he be able to see through me though? "When Nahuel mentioned mating, I sort of started thinking of one possible result of my mating with someone… and what the result might be. And I wanted to see what you might want. At some point in the future. For yourself."

"Um, Nessie, you sort of lost me? What is it you're trying to ask me?"

"I was just wondering if you ever thought of having children?... With me?... Someday?... In the future?" My eyes darted to the ground. I couldn't keep looking into his eyes any longer. I was barely able to get my question out as it was.

He didn't say anything for a long time. I really just needed a "yes" or "no" answer. Since I hadn't decided what I wanted, whatever he answered would probably not upset me either way. But I knew it wasn't that simple for him. It was why I had been avoiding asking him this question for the past few weeks.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you. It's not that important, just forget I asked."

"No, Nessie. I can see that it is."

"I know I'm not old enough for you, yet. And it's not a guarantee that our relationship will ever be like that. I don't really want to know what you see for us, either." I took a deep breath before I continued. "I was more interested in if you ever thought about having kids, in general. If it was something you had ever wanted at any point in your life."

"Yes."

"Yes?" Hmmm, I was expecting something more.

"Yes, I always hoped to have a child one day. But making a baby takes two people, so I guess it would be up to you, in the future. And if you do choose to be with me we can wait as long as you want before we started trying. There's plenty of time, though, so there's no need to rush. You're going to be young forever."

Oh, crap! Maybe I should tell him the truth. But I still had four years. I could wait a bit longer for him. He needed time.

"Or if you don't want children," he continued, "or choose to be with someone else, then I'll just have to deal with that. Not every person in this world is lucky enough to have a child, I know that. I'll be fine. Eventually. One of the perks of living forever," he added with a fake smile.

I smiled back, I know he was just trying to not make me feel bad, but now I was more confused than before.


	8. Lots to Learn

**The Snow Moon**

* * *

**Year Four, Chapter Eight**

**Lots to Learn**

* * *

Jacob's Point of View

* * *

"Where is it? It has to be here somewhere? No, no, no!"

"Renesmee? Honey what's wrong? Did you lose something?" She was on her hands and knees crawling around the living room.

"Jacob! It's horrible, I don't know how it happened. I'm so sorry," she started crying into my shoulder.

"Nessie, why don't you calm down and tell me what's wrong." Whatever it was really seemed to be bothering her.

"Look," she said holding up the light wood Alice chess piece I made her.

"Okay?" I didn't see what she was getting at. Did she lose the darker wood counterpart? Or maybe the light wood Jasper companion piece?

"Jacob, the credit cards she was holding have broken off. I don't know how I could have let this happen. I've always tried to be so careful with all of the chess pieces." She was on the verge of tears now. "They have to be here somewhere. If I can just find them, maybe I can glue them back on. You worked so hard on it."

"Here, I'll help you look for them," I said as I got down on the floor with her, "but even if we find them, we may not be able to fix it. They were very small to begin with."

"I'm so sorry."

"It's no problem, sweetheart. I can always carve you a new one." This wasn't something to get upset about. It was partially my fault for making the figure so delicate to begin with. It was almost inevitable it would get damaged.

"I don't see them anywhere."

"Neither do I honey. When did you notice it was broken?"

"Just over two hours ago."

"You've been searching for those tiny little credit cards for over two hours?"

"Yes. It's important. You made the chess set for me. I need to find them and can't stop looking until I do."

"But the cards might not even be here anymore." They were so small and delicate they could have gotten stepped on and crushed. They would have turned to nothing more than splinters. Or maybe the answer was simpler. "Has anyone vacuumed recently?"

"Oh, no!" she said, while collapsing onto the floor.

"Nessie its okay, really. Look it's still early. Let's take a walk outside and find the perfect piece of wood so I can carve you a new Alice knight."

"Alright," she perked up. "Um, what kind of wood should we look for?"

"I don't think they'll have the same wood I used back in Washington, here. But white birch grows somewhere around here, it should do the trick. You know what it looks like, right?"

"Yes of course. I think I saw some birch trees over there," she said pointing to an area a couple of miles away in the White Mountains. Luckily it was only mid November and the forest floor hadn't gotten covered with snow yet. A few suitable pieces of wood shouldn't be too hard to find.

"Come on, let's go then," I responded with a smile as I took off running in the direction she had indicated.

As we neared the edge of the Cullen property I needed to stop so I could strip off my clothes, minus Alice's special shorts. Before catching up to Nessie I balled them up and tucked them in between a gap between a group of rocks then phased. Twenty minutes later we found the birch trees Nessie had mentioned.

"Will this work Jacob?" Nessie asked, holding up a small branch. It was the right kind of wood, with few knots in it. It didn't appear to have any rot, even though Nessie had picked it up off the ground.

"Looks like it'll work. Let's grab a couple more pieces while we're here, in case I need to make any more replacements."

"Alright," Nessie said before she turned into a blur and a pile of wood was soon stacked at my feet. She was getting faster and stronger all the time. Not as much as a full Vampire, by any means, but the speed at which she moved was still impressive.

Soon the pile was up to my shins. "Nessie... Nessie... hold on. I think that's more than enough," I called to the haze moving away to find even more wood. "How many pieces are you planning on breaking?" I joked.

"Oh, right. I guess I got carried away."

"That's okay, but if you want to bring all of this back to the house we're going to have to make a couple of trips," I said, taking another look at the huge pile, "unless you have a bag hidden somewhere. I can't phase and carry things. There are some drawbacks to being a Wolf."

"I don't think so. I think you're perfect, Jacob," she said as she reached up and pulled me into a hug. It was nice. Without actually talking about it we had mutually both backed off from some of our normal closeness after the unfortunate movie incident last summer, but every once in a while we would hold hands or hug. Nothing too much. We both knew where to draw the line.

"Jacob, take off your shorts."

What!? "Um, Nessie -" My whole body stiffened, but I tried to not make it too noticeable as I gently pushed her back away from me.

"Just go behind a bush or tree, take off your shorts and phase, then I can use them to carry all of the wood in. The shorts have panels in them to expand. They'll be more than adequate to carry all of the wood."

"Oh, um, right. Good idea." What is wrong with me. Calm down.

Once we had run back to the Cullen's property, and I redressed, I sorted through the wood Nessie gathered and found a piece that would be perfect for a new Alice figurine.

"This might take a little while Nessie. Did you want to go in the house and do something else while I carve this?" I loved spending every minute of the day with her but didn't want her to be bored.

"Oorrrr," she said, dragging out the small word, "you could teach me how to do it myself."

"Sure, sure. I can teach you how to carve, if you want," I responded with a chuckle. She was so cute when she tried to convince me to do something, like I wouldn't almost always give her whatever she wanted anyway.

"Good. I should be the one to replace the piece since I broke it."

"Nessie that's not why I agreed to teach you. And how do you know you were the one who did it? Do you remember breaking it?" She didn't answer. "I didn't think so. I can easily make a new one for you, and as many more as you want. I'm happy to do it."

"Thanks Jacob, but I would also like to learn. I think it would be fun. You make these amazing things just with your hands and a little knife. I would love to be able to create something half as wonderful. And it would give me something to do all day long while you're at school."

"Aren't you taking classes online?"

"Yes, but half-vamp brain, remember," she said tapping the side of her head. "It hasn't been taking me that long to read and complete the assignments. I'm usually done with everything for the week within an hour or two."

"Yeah, I could see how you might get bored. But what about everyone else who's there with you while I'm at school? You're never home alone. Are you?" I didn't think so. Everyone had made their class schedules keeping Nessie in mind, so that she wouldn't be.

"No but they all have their own lives. It's not their job to entertain me. It's okay, I have the mind of a thirty year old adult, even if look like I'm sixteen, and have only been alive for three years, I'm not actually a child."

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Were her family really just ignoring her? I was stuck in class, away from her four days a week, for up to seven hours at a time, when I factored in the commute. Was she really by herself that entire time?

"Jacob what's wrong?" Nessie started looking around frantically. "Did you see something? I don't smell anyone?"

What was she talking about? "What's do you mean honey?"

"Jacob, you were growling!"

"I was? I hadn't even realized. I'm sorry to scare you. Just the thought of you being neglected got me so upset, I guess I did it involuntarily."

"I'm not being neglected, school only started two months ago. In the beginning I would hang out with everyone, but then I was spending time with Nahuel more and more, while you were gone." WHAT! Calm down, calm down, calm down, I chanted over and over to myself. Getting upset now would not help anything. I would have heard if something had happened. "I think the family just got use to doing their own things without me, that first month of school. But once Nahuel was sent home, no one seemed to notice my only companion, other than you of course, was gone, and I was left alone. But I can take care of myself. I was never in any danger, other than loneliness. It's okay."

"No, sweetheart. It's not." Two months was a long time. I should have been paying more attention, even if she never mentioned a problem I should have known. "So are you ready to learn how to carve?" I asked, effectively changing the subject. I was going to have a long _chat_ with the family after Nessie went to bed tonight. But right now I had something much more important to do.

"Yes, please. What should I do first?"

"Why don't we start off with something easy, like a heart. Go ahead and pick a couple pieces of wood that you think most resembles a heart shape to start with, while I run in the house and grab some knives and stuff."

When I returned Nessie had put two chunks of wood in her lap. Looking them over they seemed like they would work and we quickly sketched out the basic shape in pencil on the wood. Then I showed her how to begin by carving it out roughly, in three dimensions, looking at it from every angle, not just the front, making sure it looked correct all the way around,.

"Hey Jacob, I was wondering if you were able to talk to your Pack here when you phased?" Nessie asked me while she carved. "I know three thousand miles is a lot to hope for, but you never mentioned anything and I was just curious."

"No, honey, I can't. I didn't really think I would be able to. Three hundred miles was probably close to the limit."

"But if another Wolf came here, you would be able to hear them within three hundred miles of _you_ right? Or does it just work within a three hundred miles proximity of La Push?"

"Hmmm? The Quileute magic must be tied to the Wolves, not the location, otherwise I don't think I'd be able to phase way out here. So that would mean that I should be able to hear them here. Right?" I never thought of it before, but it made sense I guess.

"Good point. Um... what do I do now?" she asked as she held up her heart.

She was just about done with the basic shape of it so I began to show her how to use the knife to gently soften, and start to smooth out the edges.

"So is it hard? The quiet I mean? When we were in Hoodsport you could still speak to your Pack when you were phased, even though we needed to separate ourselves physically from them. It must be strange not to hear them anymore when you're a Wolf."

Of course she had thought of all of this. It was sweet of her to care. Of course she did. She was the most caring person I knew.

"It's hard sometimes, I had gotten use to everyone in my head. When I first became a Wolf, I never thought I would get use to it. Now it seems strange that they're gone."

Nessie smirked as she touched my hand and used her gift. _Well, if you miss having someone else's voice in your head I can help you with that. _

"Thanks sweetheart."

"What about Skype, or some other video phone service. You could keep in touch with everyone back in La Push that way. I know it won't be the same as hearing them in your head, but it would be more personal than a regular phone call."

"That could be an idea, but I'm not sure how that would really work. Maybe someone in La Push has a computer with a camera that everyone could use." I doubted it though. It was a nice idea that Nessie had, but computers cost money and that was one of the things that people in La Push didn't have. Family, community, friendship, trust; those things were all in abundance, enough to compensate for a lack of money, most of the time.

Maybe I could work something out and find a way to get them a new laptop. They all seemed to contain cameras now. The stock Alice bought me should be worth a small fortune by now, I should do something with it. And if everyone in my Pack got to use the computer it could be very helpful for them, in addition to allowing me to see them, and my family.

It would be nice to see Billy, Rachel, my new nephew Jeremy, and even Paul.

Nessie had stopped working on her heart. Was she done? "How is your heart coming?" I asked before seeing that she was. The last thing to do was sand it smooth.

"Are you making friends at school at least?" Nessie asked as I handed her some sandpaper.

"Yeah, there are a few people I hang out with between classes." It wasn't like High School with the Cullens. Dartmouth was so big people didn't shun me like they did them, but they were Vampires and not only expected it, they were used to it, and seemed unbothered. Even Bella was dealing with it better than in high school. We were barely ever in the same section of the school anyway and I only had one class with any of them – Spanish with Jasper. I wasn't sure why he was even taking it, he was already fluent, but at least he was able to help me when I needed it during class.

"Would you tell me about them?"

"There's not much to tell. It's not like we're friends, just people I hang out with. I don't know much about them. But sure. Let's see... There's Justin and Mark, who seem to be competing for the title of class clown. If they don't start taking school more seriously I think they might flunk out. Andy seems nice, and loves cars almost as much as Rose, if you can believe it. And then there is Rob, who I think has a crush on Andy, but is either oblivious or... I don't know, exactly." I think that was it. I hadn't really talked to too many people. Was there anyone else? "Oh, and Jenny, she seems very smart, a little clumsy, and takes everything school related way too seriously. She kinda reminds me of Bella, when she was human, you know if Bella was an overgrown, six foot behemoth, with short curly red hair, freckles and a nasty overbite. "

"Jacob, are you making fun of the way this girl looks?"

I started laughing a little louder than I intended, much to Nessie's horror.

"No honey. That's how she actually describes herself. She's from this corner of Scotland where she's some sort of local celebrity, known for her size, and ability to toss a tree, or log, or something, while she's not busy reading, of course. I don't understand it exactly, but she's quite proud of all of it."

"Oh, okay." Nessie didn't seem exactly convinced but seemed to drop it.

"Here," I said handing Nessie another piece of wood. "Why don't you try carving a second heart while I start on the new Alice chess piece."

* * *

A couple of weeks later everything was going much better for Nessie. I talked to Bella and Edward about her being left alone too much, it was easily resolved. We set up a schedule so she would always have someone to talk to, share her day with, or just spend time near, to never be left alone again if she didn't want to be, at least while I was at school and couldn't be with her. Everyone was actually appalled that she was being neglected and were happy to spend time with her.

I had been studying for my math test when Bella poked her head into my bedroom. "Jacob, you wanted me to remind you when it was five minutes till seven." Dartmouth wasn't easy, but like they promised, the Cullen's helped me out whenever I needed it, but this was for something completely unrelated.

The Cullen's missed very little school here in New Hampshire. That had surprised me. It wasn't as rainy here as Washington was, but the sunlight didn't keep them away as much as I thought it would have. It snowed a lot here over the winter, but not constantly. But the cold helped. Even though it was sunny sometimes, the temperature was low enough that they could just bundle up, pretending to be as cold as everyone else, covering almost every inch of their body. Then they simply had to go from shadow to shadow, between the parking lot, into the buildings. Once inside, the rooms were practically windowless, Dartmouth was an old school, and the buildings hardly had any to begin with. And the ones they had were small. The risk of sunlight streaming through them was negligible. And Alice spotted any problems beforehand, anyway.

"Thanks, Bells," I said as I grabbed my laptop and set it up to wait for the Skype call from Billy. He was suppose to call at seven and I didn't want to miss it. I tried not to have my computer out while I was studying, since I knew I would get distracted, going online and surfing around instead of what I was supposed to be doing. Especially when Nessie wasn't here.

It wasn't that often that we were apart, but she was off for a girls night with Rose and Alice at their house. I guess it was the Vampire version of a sleepover. Since she never went to school and made normal friends this was the closest she was going to get. The three of them planned a whole night of silly teen movies, makeovers, facials, and mani's and pedi's.

"Hey, Dad. How's everything going?" The laptops that I were able to get my family and Pack were working out great. I managed to get a good deal on them, only having to buy two, in the end. And, thanks to Alice, they were easily affordable. Edward tried to pay for them, but this time I put my foot down. I got one for Billy, Rachel and Paul to use at Billy's house, and one for Quil and Embry to share. Bella insisted on paying for a couple for Leah and Seth, since they were technically her family now. She also got some for Charlie and Sue. I still missed them but seeing everyone on video calls made it easier.

Right after the laptops were set up in La Push Nessie had asked me if she could call Billy, _alone_. She didn't tell me why she wanted to talk to him, but said there was nothing to worry about and it was important. Whatever it was she seemed much happier after they spoke. I wish I knew what it was. I didn't like not being able to help her solve any problems she had, but I guess if I couldn't, I was glad that she was able to go to my dad for help.

That night I talked to my dad for over an hour before I had to go. I still had a lot of studying to do.

* * *

How was it already April? The school year was almost over and I still hadn't decided what I wanted to major in. My advisor said I needed to declare my major before the start of my sophomore year. I couldn't wait for that though, Nessie just got her acceptance letter and would be at Dartmouth too, and we could be together more.

This year I was just taking general studies classes. I knew they were important, but all of the required classes… some of them just seemed pointless. At least they made the time fly by.

Maybe I should talk to Nessie and see what she was interested in, then we could major in the same thing. I think everyone just assumed I would major in Native American Studies, but I wanted to study something new. Growing up on the Res, with the chief as your dad, I already had a pretty good grasp on MY Tribes history, at least. Well our Tribe was a bit different than others, since our myths and legends turned out to be true, it just made everything more real.

It was amusing to see the Doc and Esme going back to school. Apparently Carlisle (or Edward, or Rose) returned to medical school once every few decades to keep up to date on the new advances. Occasionally he also studied some of his other interests. I never realized he had any besides being a doctor but it turns out he also enjoyed art and music. Edward always seemed to monopolize the piano that I guess no one ever really bothered much anymore, except the occasional lesson he now gave to Bella and Nessie.

Maybe a Photography degree would be fun. Esme was going to major in that. She had studied photography before and now she thought it would be nice to learn of all of the possibilities of digital cameras. I really liked the photo present Nessie made me where she had photoshopped the images of my Pack in their Wolf and human forms into one image. It might be nice to learn how to do that.

Edward decided to major in physics with Rose. He thought it would be fun to take it with her. They hadn't taken classes together since the last medical degrees they received over twenty years ago. I was amazed to learn that Blondie already had a PhD in astrophysics. Getting another bachelor's degree in physics didn't seem like it would be much of a challenge, and she seemed upset to learn that there wasn't much discovered in the last thirty years; but she said she got to take lots of math and physics classes which is what she really enjoyed. I don't know how anyone would enjoy that but it wasn't my life, so whatever.

I always thought Bella would have majored in English or Literature, or whatever this school was calling it. She was always reading the same old books, over and over, but surprised everyone when she told us she decided to instead major in Art History. I think she also mentioned how she was excited that next year she would have some classes with Esme.

Jasper, our resident history buff, liked the idea of learning about history from a viewpoint other than militarily and was going to try his hand as an Art History major as well. I give him a year and a half at most, before he gets bored.

Alice was going to be majoring in Women and Gender Studies. She loves all things fashion, and I guess fashion and women go together, so I'm sure she knew what she was doing. But when Emmett heard she was taking classes about "women" and "gender", he thought it would be a hoot and decided to take it with her. I know I don't know what the major was really about, but I was pretty sure it's definitely not about whatever he thinks it is. Somehow I don't think it was going to work out well for him. But it would be hilarious in the meantime.


	9. The Volturi Return

**The Snow Moon**

* * *

**Year Four, Chapter Nine**

**The Volturi Return**

* * *

Renesmee's Point of View

* * *

Jacob had surprised me this morning with a trip south to the Green Mountain National Forest. We normally went north to the White Mountains. The forest in Vermont was smaller, but I suppose the change was necessary. If my family continued to hunt in the same place over and over, we would quickly wipe out the local wildlife populations.

On the two hour drive back to our house I spent most of the time, while not conversing with Jacob, just thinking about how wonderful today was.

Opening the car door, I was hit with a scent, no more than one, that I hoped to never encounter again. It reminded me of lavender, lemongrass, honeysuckle, rosemary and baby powder. The honeysuckle was surprising but the others, in that combination could only mean one thing… the Volturi! They were here.

Aunt Alice had warned me last week that _someone_ uninvited was coming to visit. She promised that it was nothing I needed worry about, but she neglected to mention the visitors she saw were THEM. She knew what the mere mention of their name did to me. Now I wondered if it would have been better if she had told me so I could have mentally prepared for their visit.

"It's okay. Alice said they were arriving at two this afternoon. It's after seven, now. There's no way they would still be here," Jacob assured me. Of course he knew who the visitors would be today, that's why he had taken me hunting all day.

"Okay," I relaxed.

When we walked in the front door of the house I froze. Felix and Demetri, with one other whom I didn't recognize were still here! Their red eyes just seemed to be glaring at me. Why hadn't my family called one of our cell phones and warned us not to return yet?

"Ah, there she is. Renesmee, my dear, we have been waiting for you. Oh my, what a lovely... _young_... lady you have... _grown_ to be. Let me wish you a belated _Third_ birthday." Belated was right, it was July after all. Demetri spoke with a fake smile, that somehow also looked more like a frown to me. He was in front of me before I knew it, grabbing my hand and bringing it to his lips. As he went to place a kiss on my hand Jacob knocked his arm away and jumped protectively into the small space between us.

"Get your hands off of her," he seethed. Jacob's entire body was shaking now like it did when he was about to phase, but I could tell he was trying hard to calm down. Phasing now would be bad. Very, very bad.

"Please, both of you, there is no need for violence. Let us return to the living room and discuss matters, peacefully," Grandpa Carlisle stepped in.

Demetri growled but backed away sufficiently so that Jacob was able to calm down enough to stop shaking as we all walked into the living room, where my entire family was waiting.

_Don't let me go, _I said to Jacob with my gift. Of course he never did; holding one hand in his, with the other wrapped protectively around my waist, he sat me on the empty chair by my parents and stood protectively in front of me, blocking me from their view. We both needed to relax, but that seemed highly unlikely right now.

Jacob reached back and squeezed my hand a little too tightly, but I didn't care. I wasn't sure if it was meant to try and calm me down, or him. Or just his not wanting to let me go. Either way it helped a little, just not enough.

_Breath, my Jacob. There are only three of them, they can't hurt me, _I said, using my gift again, to try and reassure him.

"We didn't realize you would be staying so long. Alice told us you would be just stopping by, passing along some info," Jacob said to them as nicely as he could. It still came out rather harsh but he was trying.

"Yes, well, as we already told the Cullens, we have been traveling, letting ALL of our kind know of the newest law, prohibiting the creation of any new _HALF_-Vampires. It has taken us almost three years now. We of course began in Italy, moving throughout Europe, Africa, Asia, South America and lastly North America. You can imagine the difficulty, tracking down every single nomad... but I digress. There is another reason why we're here."

"I'm surprised your little profit didn't tell you beforehand." Felix looked at Alice with false shock.

My father started growling under his breath. What was it they were keeping from me?

"I would have mentioned something to everyone," Aunt Alice apologized, "but I'm afraid I don't know what you're talking about," she shrugged, rather worriedly, yet the smile never left her face.

"Oh, well isn't that interesting. It doesn't really matter. Demetri decided at the last minute that he just _needed_ to see how your young Renesmee, here, was developing," Felix chuckled over to him. "We have been waiting for you, my dear, for hours. If I didn't know better I might think you were avoiding us."

"We're not use to being kept waiting," the one I didn't know snarled.

"I… I was hunting," I said, trying not to sound as scared as I felt, but my voice barely came out above a whisper.

That seemed to amuse and annoy them. "And you couldn't have hunted at another time!" It didn't sound like a question. "Surely you were told that we would be coming, and should have altered your plans accordingly," Felix said angrily, before his attitude did a one-eighty, and he began smiling. "Intentionally being away at such an _important_ time as our visit, when we came all this way for Demetri to see you…"

"We didn't realize the Volturi were so interested in our daughter that they would send someone specifically to check on her," my mother interjected.

"They're not the ones who are interested in your daughter, this time. This was completely my own curiosity. I just thought it would be good to check up on the _young_ lady, in case anyone asked when we returned to Volterra. Better safe than sorry, you know," Demetri smirked. "Well, now that we have seen _young_ Renesmee here, and know all is well, I think it's time we left."

I didn't like how he keep saying "_young_ Renesmee" like that. And why was he so interested in seeing me?

"Good, I don't think I can take the stench anymore," the one whom I didn't know his name said, looking over to my Jacob.

"Of course, why don't you let me show you out," Grandpa Carlisle offered, extending his arm toward the front door.

They left without another word and the atmosphere in the room calmed down about a million percent. I think that if I hadn't already been sitting, my legs would have given way and I would have fallen. As it was I began shaking from the state my nerves were in. Jacob noticed and began rubbing his hands up and down my arms, trying to calm me down. "It's okay, they're gone. I'll never let them hurt you," he whispered.

"I'm sorry, we would have called and warned you two not to return so soon, but they refused to leave until they saw you, darling," my father explained.

"Well at least I have an explanation as to why I didn't see beforehand that they would be staying. I'm sorry Nessie. I should have looked harder," Aunt Alice apologized to me.

"No, it's not your fault," I told her, feeling a little better. "There's no way you could have known they would stay. You heard them, it was a last minute decision on that creepy Demetri's part."

"Why was he so interested in Nessie anyway?" Jacob asked my father. "I didn't believe for a second that crappy explanation he gave us."

"I'm not sure. He was guarding his thoughts very carefully, the entire time he was here. Before the two of you returned I did pick up that he had a bit of a... _crush _on Nessie, but something was off," he fruitlessly tried to whisper to Jacob, but I was still right next to him, so I heard too.

"Yeah, well, if I were him, and knew that the girl I had a crush on, had a father who could read my thoughts, I would try to guard them as well," Uncle Emmett snickered.

"Keep an eye on him, Alice, and let us know when he plans on returning," my other Uncle said.

"Of course, I don't see any problems in the immediate future though, but I'll keep checking," she replied as her eyes went out of focus for a second before snapping back.

"It may turn out to be nothing, just a passing fantasy," Aunt Rose suggested.

"That doesn't make sense though." Grandma Esme looked worriedly over to my father. "The last time he saw Nessie she appeared no more than a toddler, now she looks like a teenager. But he left so quickly after waiting so long to see her. It's so strange. There must be something more that we're missing. Did you get anything else from him Edward?"

"Oh, hey, um, Edward?" Uncle Emmett turned to speak again. "I know last time we ran into him, you were kinda preoccupied, but do you remember hearing anything about his reaction to Nessie when she was... smaller?" He looked repulsed at his own words. Why?

One second later my father sort of gave a queasy... smile. "He did have a preference for younger _meals_ as I recall."

Oh, I grasped what he was implying just as everyone else did. Yuck!

"You're probably right Emmett, I didn't think much of it at the time. It wasn't really a top concern of mine, back then," my father continued.

"That explains why they departed rather abruptly after hanging around here for so long," Uncle Jasper added. "I was wondering why his mood soured so dramatically once he finally saw Renesmee."

"I guess this means that I don't need to be looking into Demetri's future anymore, since Nessie will only be getting older. Problem solved," Alice chirped happily.

"This is gross, I think I need a shower," I said to no one in particular. I needed to get out of this room. Away from their smell. They had stunk up the whole living room. I don't have a problem with Vampires smells, like my Jacob did. I actually thought everyone in my family smelt wonderful. But this was different, it was more the association, than the actual smell. I hope they didn't go in my room. I'd have to air it out for at least a week and wouldn't be able to sleep in there until I did.

My father started going around the house opening all of the doors and windows. He was done in under a minute.

I know everyone was currently relieved that the creepy, pervert Vampire wasn't going to be a problem but I wasn't so optimistic. It was just a theory, after all. And my father said that he had had a crush on me. What if he suddenly realized I'm not so big as he first thought? What if he changes his mind and comes back? What if he doesn't care how old I am? There were a thousand _What If's_.

But that wasn't all that was upsetting me.

The Volturi have been terrifying my unconscious mind for years now, haunting my dreams with their nightmares; with their robes, and powers, and evil red eyes, and just everything about them. I thought I had finally started to get over them and now they came back.

I had to squirm to disentangle myself from Jacob's hand before heading off to my bathroom. His grip had been so tight, but I knew it was because he was concerned for my safety. I just wished it could make me feel completely better and take all my worries away. I loved how protective he was of me, sometimes.

"Are you sure you will be alright Renesmee?" my father questioned. He was in my head and knew exactly how upset I was. But I needed to go, and get out of this room. I felt gross, dirty, slimy. Yes I definitely needed a shower.

"I'll be fine," I said out loud more for everyone else's benefit. "Right Aunt Alice?"

"Nessie, of course, I just told you, your future, at least your immediate future seems fine. I don't see any of us reacting to anything unpleasant."

Not as reassuring as I was hoping, but I'd take it. "See, I'll be fine," I said again, this time more for my benefit. A quick look around the room told me that no one believed me, but no one tried to stop me either.

* * *

Jacob's Point of View

* * *

It wasn't easy but I talked Bella and Edward into letting me tuck Nessie into bed after her shower. I had to go back to my room afterwards, but I wanted to make sure she was able to get to sleep. She had stayed in the bathroom a very long time and I was worried. Tonight was traumatizing for her and all I wanted we for her to be okay, and not think too much about that creep from the Volturi.

Of course it was the one thing that I was trying to avoid in myself. The last thing I wanted was to become some perverted pedophile like him, with Nessie. Not that that would ever happen. But what were the odds, that the very reason I wasn't in the same bed with Nessie anymore, was so similar to why the Volturi creep had been interested in her?

Somewhere in the middle of the night I was awakened by the sound of Nessie screaming.

"RENESMEE!" I yelled, as I leaped out of bed, and sprinted to her room through the adjoining closet doors that I had left open. I knew that Volturi pervert would come back! Emmett's theory was wrong. If he laid one hand on her I would literally rip him to pieces.

Once I was through her door I was relieved to see that she was alone. She was still in bed, screaming, in her sleep. It was only a nightmare, probably about HIM. He must have creeped her out more than she let on.

"Nessie! Nessie wake up. It's just a dream, you're safe," I gently said as a tried to nudge her awake. The last thing I wanted was to scare her more. "He's not here, you're safe, I won't let him touch you."

She looked very confused when she woke up, but grabbed me into the tightest hug she had ever given me. After about five minutes she ended the hug but didn't let go of me.

"My Jacob, I'm so glad you're safe," she sobbed into my shoulder. Using my sleeve, I wiped away the tears that had fallen on her cheek but more just came.

"You were having another nightmare. Were you dreaming about that Volturi pervert?" What else could be bothering her, to bring back her nightmares?

"Oh, no, not exactly. His personal _preferences _freaked me out, yes, but they were more disgusting than frightening. It's the Volturi in general, coming after me... after us, that scared me. I thought that I had gotten past my issues with them, and then they show up after all these years, and I feel like I'm right back there again. Now it seems worse, more concrete, more real. What is wrong with me? Why can't I get past this?"

"There's nothing wrong with you Nessie, do you hear me? Nothing. It just shows how good you are that those evil bastards have affected you like this, so much. Please don't worry though. You know that I'll never let them hurt you. Ever."

When she finally stopped crying and started to settle down I briefly tightened my grip on her and placed a kiss on her forehead before getting up to go back to my room. "Try to go back to sleep, okay?"

"No, my Jacob, please don't leave me. Stay," she pleaded.

"I can't sweetheart, you know Bella and Edward won't let me, anymore."

She didn't say anything, but looked so sad. I expected some kind of verbal response from her; some type of negotiation to try and get me to stay - begging, pleading, something. But she just looked lost and so unbelievably sad. Then the tears started again. She still didn't try negotiating with me, but curled up into a ball and began quietly sobbing to herself. That was it for me. I couldn't take it anymore.

"Okay, Nessie, lie down," I instructed as I slid in next to her.

_Edward, if you're listening, she needs me tonight. You can do or say whatever you want to me in the morning, but I'm not leaving. _

He didn't break down the door and try to drag me out so I assumed he was okay with me staying, at least for tonight. (Or he and Bella were so wrapped up in themselves he was too distracted to hear me.) Cuddled in Nessie's bed, with my angel in my arms, giving her sweet little pecks on top of her head, I watched as she drifted off to sleep. I knew tonight I would have the best sleep I have had, since before I was pulled away from my angel. I only hoped I could do the same for her.

* * *

"Good morning, sweetheart." Nessie was just waking up, but I had been awake for over an hour, just staring, in awe as she slept. I missed this, just laying next to her, watching her breathing in and out. The slow relaxing rhythm of her breath. The warmth of her skin touching mine, soft and smooth, yet strong. The steady beating of her heart. When we were together like this our heartbeats would sync up, so if someone were listening they would only think they were hearing one person's heart.

I loved the time I was able to spend with her this morning, but now it was over. I would have to go and see Bella and Edward and deal with whatever they had planned. Nothing happened, of course. I just calmed Nessie down after her nightmare so she could sleep. I had never seen her so bad, heartbroken and defeated, she looked like she had giving up hope. What else could I have done?

"How did you sleep? You didn't have any more nightmares, did you?"

"Not a single one. Thanks for staying with me. I don't think I would have been able to go back to sleep without you here. My dreams were so wonderful, for the first time in a long while, just from having you back with me."

"You know it was just for last night, right Nessie? Edward and Bella aren't going to let me stay with you again. In fact, now that you're up I should go and see what sort of punishment, or whatever, they have waiting for me." I didn't think they would really try to hurt me. Probably limit the amount of time Nessie and I got to spend together each day, but that would hurt Nessie, too. In that case maybe I would let Eddie break a few broken ribs.

"NO!"

"I'm sorry, honey?" What did she mean?

"I said No. I'll not let anything happen to you. Come on, we're going to go talk to my parents together and we're going to convince them that not only was there nothing wrong with you spending the night, calming me down, last night, so I could sleep, but that we're going to return to our previous sleeping arrangements, from now on," Nessie said as she started dragging me out of the room to go find her parents.

This wasn't going to go well.

At least we didn't have to go far. As soon as we exited Nessie's room we saw them, sitting on the couch in the living room, already waiting for me.

"Nothing happened-" I stated as we walked towards them.

"We still need to talk to you, Jake." Bella still didn't seem happy even as she confirmed that she believed me.

"That's not true, Jacob and you know it," Nessie countered out of nowhere.

What? I threw her a look of disbelief. Why would she say that? Was she trying to get me killed?

"Jacob, I needed you last night and you were there for me. You were there when and how I needed you, just like you have always been. You were perfect. Everything about last night was perfect."

Okay, I'm dead.

Nessie then went up on her toes and placed a soft peck on my cheek. Judging by the growls coming from the couch, that wasn't helping my case.

_Just let me talk to them, s_he thought to me with her gift. I hoped she had a plan, and knowing her, she did.

She calmly went over and sat next to her parents as she placed her hands in Bella's. Instead of just standing there I took a seat in one of the chairs opposite them.

"Jacob, you protected me. You protected me, as you've always done. Maybe not from a physical attack, but from a mental one generated by my own mind. And your Imprinting drove you to protect me just as it always has done. I needed you and you were there for me. It's wrong of my parents to try and keep you from what your instincts were telling you should be doing."

She was looking at me when she spoke but I knew it was meant for Bella and Edward. But she was right. I only wanted to protect her, nothing more.

* * *

Renesmee's Point of View

* * *

"Mom, dad, I can't and won't continue to sleep without Jacob. He belongs with me. You know I love Jacob and I need him." _ Nothing is going to happen. He is still not ready for us to be together like that. I know that, and I know that you know that. I promised to wait until he was ready, and I will. _

"For now but things could change, you could change your mind." Why was my father thinking the worst about us?

"Don't you trust me?" Was he really doubting me?

"After what happened last summer I'm not sure if that's possible," my mother sighed.

No, not her too.

"That was a mistake, I know, but not for the reasons you think. I know you thought I was too young then." _And you believe I'm still not mature enough, but I am, not that it matters if Jacob's not ready._ "But I'm older and wiser now. Just look at me. I'm physically seventeen years old. I look like I'm the same age as you, dad. And I'm 5'7", mom that's three inches taller than you are. You've let me take college classes online and next year I'll be going to school with you."

"Looks can be deceiving."

"Yes, they can," I agreed. "Mentally I have been as smart as an adult since my first birthday."

"Book smart yes, but life experiences wise, I think not," my father countered.

"What do you think Grandma Esme was doing, with me, and her social training, while you were attending high school? She knew I needed to be prepared for life sooner than you realized. And she managed to squeeze in almost a lifetime of experiences into two years, pretty successfully I believe."

"Nessie, I'm sorry, but I don't think you two should be sleeping together."

"Dad, I'm sleeping with Jacob and that's final." _And besides, I know you're concerned about us someday moving too fast but I might not want Jacob, at least not romantically anymore. _

"Really? And what about what Jake wants?" My mother seemed shocked. I know my father probably heard me thinking about it over and over after Nahuel's _little_ announcement, but I haven't come to any decisions.

"Jacob imprinted on me. He feels the same as I do." _And_ s_ince I currently have not decided if I want Jacob or Nahuel, he should have no desires for me either. This is a moot point though, like I already said, Jacob is not mentally ready for me yet, so it doesn't matter. _

"Things could change. _You_ could change your mind in the future," my father added in.

_Probably_. "It just seemed like you assumed we will end up together? Don't you think I would follow the same path most other Imprints did with their Wolves."

"Of course sweetheart, but it's your choice, we just want to protect you," my mother said softly.

"Protect me? Jacob protects me. He would never do anything that wasn't what was best for me. Which is why we should be allowed to sleep together. You know that's how Imprinting works. He wants what I want and need, right?"

"Theoretically." My father didn't seem to truly believe it even though he agreed. "But I'm still concerned about what happened last summer.".

"I know." _ And I don't want to make excuses, but that was also before Nahuel said he was interested in being with me. I always just assumed I was supposed to be with Jacob, but I need to take some time to be sure I make the right decision. "_But you see there is nothing for you to be concerned about, now. And…" _when I do make my choice, "_I would hope that you would be happy for me." _With whomever I choose. _

My parents exchanged a quick look, then my mother nodded to my father and they consented to let Jacob sleep in my room again, at least until my nightmares calmed down again, but warned that my father would be keeping a close watch on us at night.

"Come on my Jacob. Let's go get the other set of furniture out of the attic," I smile with glee as I dashed up the stairs.

* * *

Thanks for reading.

The next chapter should be up soon.

Please review.


	10. Fight Training

**Year Five - The Worm Moon**

Renesmee continues to age from an eighteen year old to a twenty year old adult.

Chapter 10 - Fight Training

Chapter 11 - Decisions, Decisions

Chapter 12 - Nahuel's Return

Chapter 13 - The College Plan

Chapter 14 - College (and Trouble) Begins

Chapter 15 - The Tough Talk

Chapter 16 - Driving and Dating

Chapter 17 - A Dream and a Wedding

Chapter 18 - Talks with Bella and Jacob

Chapter 19 - A Very Long Night

* * *

.

* * *

**The Worm Moon**

* * *

**Year Five, Chapter Ten**

**Fight Training**

* * *

Renesmee's Point of View

* * *

I awoke from my dream with a smile on my face. I knew what I needed to do. I needed to take some control of my life. I couldn't continue always relying on Jacob to protect me, not in the waking world and not in my dreams. These nightmares of mine would never end as long as I was letting someone else take complete responsibility for my protection. They were my nightmares, my worries, my fears. I needed to handle them. Jacob only offered a temporary bandage. If I didn't want to be continually ruled by them I would need to get rid of them myself. I needed to start fighting; metaphorically and literally.

It was the end of August, school didn't start up again for another few weeks. It was the perfect time to do this. Hopefully I could start right away. Today even.

Jacob would teach me how to fight, surely. He always gave me what I needed, and I needed this. But who else?

I bet Uncle Emmett would be more than willing to help me learn as well. He could be a giant goofball, fight training with him would be fun, I hoped. My mother and father had gone hunting last night, some sort of extended trip, high up into Canada, and were not due to return until late this evening, but maybe they would be willing to help tomorrow.

Uncle Jasper was the best fighter in the family, I'd need to work up to him, as to not get too discouraged right away. But what about Grandpa Carlisle and Grandma Esme? I knew they didn't like violence and would only fight when it was deemed necessary. Moreover I didn't want to upset them if I didn't have too. So they were out.

Then there was Aunt Rose and Aunt Alice. Aunt Rose would probably enjoy play fighting with Uncle Emmett. But then again she was too protective of me, what if I got hurt? She would be sure to over dramatize it. Maybe. I'll still ask her, she could be fine. And she and Jacob had been getting along so well lately. I don't think I'll ask Aunt Alice. I had heard she was a great fighter, no one could touch her. Being able to see what everyone was going to do gave her an amazing advantage, but she couldn't see me, or Jacob, and it would probably make her frustrated. And who knew how good a fighter she really was without her gift to help her. Plus I wasn't asking Uncle Jasper yet, and I didn't think it was right to choose one over the other like that, they were kind of a match set, that would not be separated. Of course you could say that of all the couples in the family.

"So you want me to teach you how to fight?"

"You're awake?.. And you saw my thoughts?" Of course he did, my hand was on Jacob's arm. "Wait, do you see my dreams every night?" He had never mentioned anything. That could be embarrassing.

"Very rarely. Only if your hand happens to land on my cheek when you're asleep. When our skin connects anywhere else nothing happens, unless you're awake. I'm sorry I didn't tell you before. It's only happened twice, and I moved your hand away as soon as I realized… I didn't mean to invade your privacy."

"It's okay, you didn't." Jacob's face seemed to relax. He barely peeked into my dreams and had no reason to feel guilty. It wasn't even an issue. And the more I thought about it the more I didn't care if he saw my dreams. We shared everything else. Why not those as well. "So is that a yes? Will you teach me how to fight?"

"You know I will, but I don't think it will be so easy convincing the rest of your family. Edward in particular. I remember him having a problem with teaching Bella too."

** "**Well, we'll just have to convince him when he returns. Come on, let's get started," I said as I jumped out of bed.

After getting dressed and eating some breakfast, we found Uncle Emmett and Aunt Rose in the garage and the two of us began trying to convince them to help.

"So my little Niece thinks she's ready to take on a big bad Vampire all by her little self?" teased my Uncle.

"No, that's not it. But I do think I need to start learning how to defend myself."

"What's going on, Jacky here not doing a good enough job?"

"Uncle Em, my Jacob is perfect," I said more to Jacob than him, with a giant smile, enough to stop his growls. "But I need this for me."

"Bella and Edward are not going to like this," Aunt Rose cautioned.

"I can't believe that. They would want me to be able to defend myself, if I needed to. Right? Even if it was just until one of you showed up. Jacob cannot be by my side twenty-four hours a day."

"Yes, I can," he responded, at the same time Aunt Rose smirked and said, "Oh, I think he would if you let him."

"Jacob you deserve a life, too. Guarding me shouldn't be your full time job."

"Guarding you... no, watching you... maybe." Emmett chuckled, before Aunt Rose smacked him off the top of his head.

I knew what he was implying and it didn't have the intended result he was looking for, it only made Jacob smile slightly before looking down at his feet, almost like he was embarrassed at the truth. Hmmm, I wonder why? Were his feelings starting to change?

"Okay, let's get on with this. How should we start?"

"Rose, honey, why don't we show these two how it's done," my Uncle said with another chuckle as we walked around to the backyard. "Come and get me," he said as he opened his arms. That didn't seem like he was prepared for whatever she was going to do to attack him.

This might have been a bad idea. Just as I was thinking that Uncle Jasper might have been a better choice after all, Uncle Emmett dropped into a defensive crouch as Aunt Rose ran towards him.

I watched over and over as he evaded her attacks. Eventually I felt ready to try it on my own. Uncle Emmett volunteered to be the one who would "attack" me first. Jacob and Aunt Rose were looking very nervous, afraid that Uncle Emmett would somehow hurt me, but he went so slow in the beginning that it was almost too easy. There was no chance of him coming into contact with me.

Eventually he did start to speed up and I continued to evade him... until I didn't. In an instant I felt like I was knocked into by a Mac truck and was flying backwards through the air before landing safely in Jacobs arms.

"Renesmee, are you okay? Talk to me sweetheart." His voice was anxious.

"Hmmm? I'm fine. I think I just got the wind knocked out of me."

"Come on," he started walking us towards the house, not putting me down. "I think that's enough for today."

"No Jacob, really I'm fine. I want to try again. I think I know what I did wrong and need to test my theory while it's fresh in my mind," I said as I tried to climb out of his arms.

"Alright," he stopped walking and put me down, "but if you get hurt, even a tiny bit, we're done."

"Jacob, I'm fine. Look not even a scratch." I held out my arms to prove I was telling the truth.

Three additional passes later and I was still good. At least I was getting a handle on ducking, evading, and jumping out of the way. Things like that. Just not getting caught in general.

I was doing so well that I persuaded Aunt Rose and Uncle Emmett to move on to some hand-to-hand combat after lunch. It was only self defense but Jacob was still wary of the idea. Really, he didn't like anything that could put me in danger. I think if he could he would keep me in a padded room.

I had no intention of ever _attacking_ a Vampire, but if one got their hands on me it would be nice to get myself out of their grip, at the very least, so I could run away. Of course I knew I was not as fast as a full Vampire, so running away would not be practical for long. And I wasn't as strong as one, so I could never win in a hand to hand fight, but I was hoping for at least a chance to prolong things long enough to be _rescued_... if the need ever arose, that is.

I didn't do any real fighting today, they just had me practice what to do to get out of a Vampires steely grip. Okay, so not only Uncle Emmett and Aunt Rose's grips, I also practiced getting out of Jacob's arms as well. It was a lot of work but worth it, and sort of fun, but I think I was going to be sore tomorrow. I had been practicing all day, when I finally decided to call it quits upon hearing Jacob's stomach growl. Dinner time! Past dinner, in fact. It was after nine. The sun had set hours ago.

Today had been long, yet very successful, I think. But it was also a lot of fun. While I had loved every minute of it, I was so exhausted and worn out, I nearly passed out at the table. Truthfully I think I did. There was a foggy memory of Jacob caring me to bed after dinner, and then nothing.

The next morning I woke up to the sensation of Jacob's warm body being ripped away from me and being replaced with empty coldness. What was going on?

"HOW COULD YOU? YOU PROMISED ME!"

That was my father's voice and he was screaming.

Opening my eyes and quickly looking around I saw that he had Jacob shoved against the far wall. And my mother was standing above me, glaring at Jacob.

"Dad, what are you doing? Stop! Mom, help! Stop him!" I screamed but he didn't, nor did it look like she was going to do anything. Why not? Weren't they best friends? They use to be. Why would she let my father hurt my Jacob like this? Why was my father hurting my Jacob?

Jumping out of bed I ran across the room and started trying, in vain, to pull my father's hands off of him.

Ouch! I was sore. Not nearly as sore as thought I was going to be, but my muscles were aching from being used in ways they had never been before.

My father started growling at Jacob even more, still ignoring my attempts to remove him, and started shoving Jacob back into the wall with even more force.

"Get your hands off of me!" Jacob growled. While he wasn't fighting back, I could see how he was shaking, struggling not to phase. Just doing that seemed to be taking a lot of effort.

"I saw your dreams. Did you think I would not find out?" my father looked at me and seethed as one of his hands wrapped around Jacob's throat.

"My dreams?" I questioned my father in a panic. What had I been dreaming about? It took me a half-second to recall them. It didn't help that I had been torn out of such a deep sleep, after yesterday's fun, along with the shock of everything going on right now. But what was wrong with my dream that got my father so upset? I had been replaying some of the events of yesterday's _wrestling_ match with Jacob. I guess my mind did linger on some of the more pleasurable moments... but my dreams hadn't been that graphic. Had they?

"Both of yours," my father growled, which caused my mother to start snarling, too.

"What?" I still didn't understand. "Jacob what were you dreaming about?" I pleaded.

"Yesterday," was all he was able to choke out. Maybe Uncle Emmett and Aunt Rose said something to my parents.

"Did you talk to them?" I asked my father.

"They were leaving just as we arrived and were guarding their thoughts pretty closely. They knew I would be angry when I learned of yesterday's _events_. Why would you think I would speak to them about... this?" He looked disgusted at the idea.

"Because they were there, helping to teach me how to fight. Isn't that what you're upset about?"

Suddenly my father released Jacob. "You mean you were _actually_… wrestling? Nothing more?"

Jacob seemed to take the sudden shock that came over my father as an opportunity to punch him square in his jaw.

Wow! I had never seen him lift one finger to my father before this, and he probably had been justified on more than one occasion.

"JAKE!" my mother yelled, running over to them and throwing Jacob back into the far wall just as he was gearing up for another swing. I don't think she had intended to hurt him. She was just getting him off of my father. He was okay, a few punches weren't going to hurt him, but that knowledge didn't make me feel better.

Running over to Jacob, who had crumpled to the floor, I wanted to make sure he wasn't hurt, but in an instant he was back up and flew past me to retaliate. What was going on?

"No, no, no, all of you. Please don't fight!" I cried.

That stopped Jacob in his tracks. He turned his back on my parents, and ran back over to me. "I'm sorry, don't cry, honey," he said, while wiping my tears, but I didn't stop crying. I didn't want the two men I loved the most fighting. He wrapped his arms around me in an attempt to soothe me, while continuing to whisper, "I'm sorry I lost my temper. I should never have hit him. I won't do it again. I promise. Please," he tried again. It seemed like my crying was upsetting him more than what my father had just done.

Looking over to my father, I saw him whispering something to my mother, too low even for me to hear. At least they didn't look so angry anymore, but as I realized what set him off in the first place I now was the one who was livid.

I needed to get a handle on my emotions. This wasn't helping. Squeezing my eyes shut to stop my tears, I took a deep breath, and forced myself to calm down.

"Dad," I began, taking control of my emotions as best I could, while getting up and walking over to him. "What is wrong with you? You cannot keep doing this. You cannot continually become irrational every time you think something has happened with me that you don't approve of. I can handle things and make my own decisions." My tone was level. I wasn't shouting, though I wanted do, but that would not help my case.

"Renesmee, I'm sorry I overreacted. I misread the situation. I know now nothing happened," he replied.

_Sorry_ wasn't going to make things better. "That's not the point. So what if nothing happened. Eventually something really will happen that you don't approve of, and then what? You kill the person I love?" I started recalling for him, in my mind, all of the times I had seen him overreact.

"And why would something happen that I do not approve of?" My father started getting upset again. "When you're old enough, you will get married, then you will be free to do as you please."

"You don't seriously expect me to get married, do you?"

"WHAT?" all three of them questioned in unison.

Why were they so shocked. I had heard the stories of how my father had to practically beg my mother, over and over again, to marry him. She finally gave in, but only in exchange for something she _actually_ cared about -immortality.

"You never want to get married? At all? To anyone?" Although I had directed my words to my father, it was Jacob who asked, looking like he had just been shot or something.

** "**Just because I don't want to have a silly ceremony, does not mean I don't want to commit my life to one person, someday," I said, this time looking straight at Jacob as I spoke.

"This is Nahuels doing isn't it? He put this idea in your head with his offer for you to go off and become his mate without bothering to get married, isn't it?" my father scowled.

"He did what?" Jacob seethed.

"Dad! No." How could he think that? How could he SAY that? And in front of Jacob? Oh, crap! "This has nothing to do with what Nahuel said. I just don't see the point of marriage."

"When did that happen?" Jacob demanded. "Nahuel has been gone for months."

"Back in September," my mother quietly answered him. "But Nessie wasn't interested and anyway she was too young to be making those kinds of decisions. Just like you're still too young to decide whether or not you may want to get married someday."

"Your mother is right," my father agreed. "We don't need to settle this right now. It will still be years before we need to seriously think about this. Why don't we _all_ take some time to calm down."

Was my father serious? How hard did Jacob hit him? This wasn't over, not even close. And what was with his thinking that he would be involved in my decision as to whether or not I want to get married? I wasn't going to change my mind about marriage. But I didn't want to do this in front of Jacob. I could see how upset he already was by this, not to mention the rude awakening he received by my father.

"How about I make you two a nice big breakfast. Any requests?" my mother asked, in a rather lame attempt to change the subject.

Was she delusional too? Breakfast wasn't going to fix this either. But I needed time to talk to Jacob and her making us breakfast would give me that time.

"Um, sure mom. Whatever you feel like making, I guess." Then I turned to Jacob. "I think I need some air. Would you like to go for a walk before we eat?"

"Yeah, um sure, Nessie." He still looked stunned. This might be a longer walk than I thought.

"Good. I'd like to have a word with my father first. Could you wait for me outside?" It didn't look like he wanted to leave me, but reluctantly did as I asked.

As soon as I heard the outside door close I turned to my father.

_I'm not going to change my mind!_ I mentally yelled at him.

"You will get married, and will not be doing anything, with anyone, until then."

_Isn't that a little hypocritical of you?_

"Not at all. Your mother and I were perfectly chaste until after our wedding.

_That's not exactly true,_ I countered. I have heard the stories from other family members. _Even if you don't want to speak of it, I know the truth. _

"What are you talking about?"

_Uncle Emmett told me how he caught you and mom in her bedroom one night and how you weren't wearing very much clothing. And Uncle Jasper remembers when you two were first dating and he walked in on you and Mom, in your bedroom, in what he described as a very compromising position._

My father tried explaining away both instances but I had caught him and he knew it.

_You may have still been a virgin when you got married but you and mom were not as innocent as you expect me to be._ Having nothing more to say I left to go find Jacob outside.

I couldn't believe I just talked (well thought) to my father like that, and about sex... it was embarrassing, but after what he did to Jacob I felt he deserved it. Still...

* * *

Do you know the instances I am referring to from the books?


	11. Decisions, Decisions

**The Worm Moon**

* * *

**Year Five, Chapter Eleven**

**Decisions, Decisions**

* * *

Renesmee's Point of View

* * *

As I walked out of the house and into the woods to where my Jacob was waiting for me, more of my dreams from the night before started coming back to me. I had indeed been replaying the events from yesterday. They had mostly focused on the fight training that took place between Jacob and myself. But at some point in the night it seemed that my imagination had gotten a bit carried away. My dream version was a bit more _intimate_ than reality had been, and that was just the starting point. No wonder my father had gotten the wrong idea. But what was Jacob thinking about? He just told me that he was thinking about "Yesterday". Had he been thinking of _more_ as well?

"So, that was... interesting," I said, once I sat down on a log next to him.

"Yeah. What is going on with Edward? How many times do I have to go over this with him? I would never do anything like that with you Nessie." I guess not. "Doesn't he know me by now. He should know I still think you're too young." Really! Eighteen is still too young for him? "And besides, I would never just... Argh," he growled, ripping his hands through his hair. Then his face softened. "I need to apologize again to you for hitting him, even if he did have it coming," he said, added the last part under his breath.

"Jacob, it's okay, I understand… I guess. Just don't do it again, please. We all know how he can get sometimes. That's partially why we're in this mess. And I think you both owe each other an apology, not just me."

"Sure, sure. If that's what you want," he agreed reluctantly, as he tried to relax before speaking again. "So you wanted to talk? Was it about some of the things that were brought up? Cause I have a few questions too."

"Err... okay. I'll try to answer any questions you have as best as I can." I was afraid of this. I thought he would start and ask me something. When he didn't, I prodded. "You first."

He sighed, but didn't object. "Would you mind telling me what happened between you and Nahuel? It seemed like quite a lot from what Edward implied."

That wasn't what I was expecting him to ask. "Jacob you already heard pretty much everything that took place. Nahuel came here last September in order to see if I was willing to become his mate but I obviously turned him down. You were there that day in the woods. Remember?"

He seemed shocked. "That was it?"

Wasn't that enough? Maybe he was hoping I would have completely rejected him and told him I never wanted him. But I couldn't do that. Yet.

"No, not really. That was the second time he asked me. The first was in front of my parents. It was a couple weeks prior to you chasing him off in the woods. You can imagine my father's reaction."

"Ha," he snorted. "I'm surprised Nahuel's still alive. But there wasn't more - that whole no marriage talk?"

"Well, yes, I guess. He did first ask me to marry him, but only to be like the rest of the family. It wasn't like it was a real proposal."

I could tell Jacob was forcing himself to not growl again. Instead he got up and started pacing around, trying to burn off some of the excessive stress that was radiating off of him. Eventually he stopped and turned to me. "Is that why you don't want to get married? Do you think you'd have to marry him?"

He was so intense, I couldn't look at him. Instead I stared at my hands. "No, I know I'd have a choice about who I marry, if I chose to. I just don't want to get married. To anyone."

He squatted in front of me, making sure I looked in his eyes now. "Are you sure you never want to?"

"I have my reasons."

"I'm sure you do. Would you care to tell me why?" His voice was rough. Was he mad? No, I didn't think so. Disappointed? Maybe.

"Jacob it's like I said, I don't see the point of marriage. The two wedding ceremonies I've seen just seemed like a waste of time. After it is over you still end up with the person you would have been with if you hadn't had the ceremony in the first place. Only now you also have a legal document. But all of my paperwork, some of yours, and almost everything for the rest of my family, are all fake anyway." I looked away. I wasn't ashamed of my reasons, just that my decision would hurt him.

"Then there is the religious aspect of weddings, I continued. "There has never really been a religious... anything in the family, during my lifetime, anyway. You know how I feel about Christmas. And put that together with the entire lack of souls for a Vampire and where does that leave me?"

"Nessie, you know you have a soul right?" Out of the corner of my eye I could see the skepticism written all over his face.

"No, I don't. I'm the child of a Vampire, a real life monster, after all."

"Hey, look at me," he said as he gently turned my head back to him with his finger. His voice was equally as gentle now. "Of course you have a soul. I would never have been able to Imprint on you if you didn't, Renesmee. Imprints are Wolves SOULMATES. The first word is Soul. Your soul is the other half of mine."

"Yeah, and what about the second part of the word?" I smirked at him. I was curious about his reaction to the possibility of being my mate. But he just raised his eyebrows and gave me a look like I should know better than to say that after this morning's events. I guess he was right, so I dropped it, for now. "Jacob," I patted the seat next to me, inviting him to sit down instead of continuing to squat, which he did, "you're the kindest, most loving person I know. Someone as good as you probably just has a soul big enough for the both of us."

"You're joking, right?" He knew I was and I even smirked at my stab at humor now, while he only attempted a weak grin.

"Okay, so I guess I have a soul, but I'm not giving in on my other points. It doesn't change anything."

He looked disappointed but there was nothing I could do about that. I didn't see us resolving this issue anytime soon, so after a minute of neither one of us talking I decided to change the subject. Time for my questions.

"Jacob, what did you promise my dad?"

"What?" He seemed puzzled.

"I know I was still half asleep but when he first, um... entered our bedroom, he was screaming something like 'How could you? You promised'."

"Yeah, that... well, it was a long time ago, Nessie. And I didn't exactly promise him anything. But we did talk about... well if at some point in the future... and I was lucky enough that you chose me, that I would marry you... you know... um, first. Before certain _things_ happened. If you wanted to, that is."

"Oh."

"I guess that's not going to happen though." He got quiet again. Now he was the one to look away. "Maybe it's time I left." What? Leave? No! "I should just go and get my own place."

"Jacob you can't leave me!" I cried.

"No honey, I'm not leaving you," he turned his head back now, "just this house. And I wouldn't go that far. I can get a place nearby. It's only going to get worse around here with Edward and you know it."

"Well your leaving would make things ten times worse."

"How do you figure that?"

"Because I'd be coming with you and if you think he's upset now he'd be livid with us living alone together."

"Nessie, you wouldn't be coming with me."

"How could I live without you in the same house as me? Jacob, I can't even sleep without you next to me."

"Isn't that what the fight training was for? So you could take some control of your life, so you wouldn't need me to sleep with you every night?"

"Okay, so maybe I don't _want_ to sleep without you," I admitted. Why was he making this so difficult? "Jacob, if you leave I'm coming with you. I look like I'm eighteen now, and I already have the IDs to prove it. We could find a place together. You stay, or I go too. End of discussion. You were right. The fight training was me beginning to take control of my life and this is me starting it."

"Sure, sure, so I guess I'm staying then. I might need you to protect me from your father though, since I'm not allowed to hit him ever again," Jacob added with a slight chuckle.

"Yeah, that was scary. I didn't like seeing the two of you fighting. Even a little bit."

"I'm sorry Nessie. None of that should have happened. I never want to see you upset. It killed me back there seeing you cry." Now he was the one upset.

"Jacob you can't protect me from everything. I need to experience life. And that includes the upsides and the downsides. What kind of a life would it be if I never had anything bad happen? How would I know what was good. You're not helping me by protecting me from everything."

"I guess you're right honey. I just hate seeing you upset."

"Hey, I don't want you to be upset either."

* * *

Jacob's Point of View

* * *

"So... breakfast?" I asked Nessie. This was one weird morning. So much had happened, so much was said.

I can't believe I actually punched Edward. It felt good, really good, until I saw how hurt Nessie looked. I can never lose my temper like that again. And Edward had been so good to me over the years, and we had sorta become friends. Of course he was choking me and (possibly) trying to kill me at the time, so he did have it coming.

But I guess I could see where he was coming from. Kinda. I know I had dreamt of yesterday, how I spent it teaching Nessie to fight. I just don't understand how Edward had misconstrued that so much, that he thought we had been doing something else. Not to mention the fact that I still didn't see Nessie like that, but I guess the last time she tried turning our relationship romantic, it had caught Edward off guard also.

"May I have a word with you, Jacob, before you return inside." Edward had appeared out of nowhere and was now standing in front of us, blocking the door back into the house. Great, what did he want now?

Nessie was giving him a skeptical look but he assured her that he just wanted to talk to me.

"I'll meet you inside in a few minutes sweetheart." I said as I gave her a kiss on the top of her head.

As soon as she entered the house, I kept my promise to Nessie, and apologized to Edward for hitting him, even if the punch had been more than justified. I thought my mental comment would get at least a growl from him, but I was surprised that he actually looked ashamed of himself.

"Let's take a walk," he said leading my into the woods. Once we were out of earshot he stopped. "Jacob, I feel I need to formally apologize to you as well. I jumped to conclusions without obtaining the facts. You have been nothing but honorable with Renesmee. There's no excuse for what I did. I'm sorry for my actions as well as what I said to you."

"You know I feel the same way about your daughter as you do. I only want to protect her, care for her, love her, make sure she is happy and safe. Nessie is special... not that Bella wasn't," l began backtracking, after seeing the look on Edward's face, not wanting to insult my friend, and his wife. "But I'm not some stupid teenager anymore. I wouldn't do anything that might jeopardize my future with Nessie, however she may want it to be."

I wanted to make one other thing clear to Edward, but I knew he would not like hearing it. Of course I also knew he could read it in my mind, but I thought hearing it out loud would be helpful, if not possibly painful... well maybe not for me at least, then again... "But keep in mind... if she wants me, and we're together... what we do, and when, is her call. Not mine. And certainly not yours."

"Jacob, you would have a say in things too." Did he really think he could get his way by making _me_ be the one to insist on getting married first?

"If Nessie wants... _certain things_ when she's older, and it's... _safe_ and it will make her happy, then why would I say no? You heard her today. She doesn't want to get married. It's not like you can force her to. You must have heard her think about the subject before this. It couldn't have come as such a complete surprise as you made it out to be."

"Yes, you're right, I have heard her think of the matter before. But until today she was unsure. It was always a question that she was still considering. I'm afraid my actions and comments this morning may have pushed her over the edge."

"Great, thanks a lot."

"Don't lose faith, Jacob. She could always change her mind."

"I hope so." I said out loud, but more to myself than to him.

"As do I. And who knows what may happen over the next few years."

When we got back to the house Alice and Jasper were already in our bedroom plastering the cracked drywall that Edward had shoved me into.

While I appreciated it, it meant that I was going to have to air the room out once they left.


	12. Nahuel's Return

**The Worm Moon**

* * *

**Year Five, Chapter Twelve**

**Nahuel's Return**

* * *

Jacob's Point of View

* * *

Nessie and I were in the middle of a game of chess against Bella and Edward. Okay, so it wasn't a traditional chess game. We made up our own version so Edward couldn't _cheat, _well not as easily,and it made it more challenging for everyone. In our version Bella didn't even need to keep her shield up around us, so Edward could read our minds and see what we were going to do. Bella mentioned how it was frustrating for him when she blocked our minds to him in the past. This way he could still hear everyone's thoughts, except Bella's of course, while we played. It was interesting, Bella and Edward against Nessie and me.

We played on two boards, switching opponents and then boards every other turn. On the first move I would play against Bella, while Nessie played Edward, then Edward and Bella switched places, effectively playing a new opponent and new board, while Nessie and I kept the same board, but got a different opponent. Then on the next turn Bella and Edward stayed at the same board and Nessie and I switched. It made the game challenging and fun. Since Edward couldn't read Bella's mind he didn't know what she was going to do during her turn and it seemed to even things out.

We were in the middle of our fifth game, and were currently tied two-to-two. This was supposed to be the tie breaking last game before Nessie and I went to bed. We had started playing just after lunch only breaking once for dinner. But this last game was going longer than expected. I could see that Nessie was getting tired. It was after eleven, after all.

"Eddie," he hated it when I called him that, "are you ever going to make a move, or are you hoping to win by default, if Nessie falls asleep?" Come on, he had been staring at the board for over ten minutes already.

"I'll move my piece when I'm ready. And I believe I have mentioned before not to call me that," he half threatened, half chuckled.

After what felt like another eight or ten more minutes it looked like he was finally going to make his move. He picked up his _Jasper Knight_ piece and was about to take Nessie's _Rosalie Rook_ when he dropped it and ran out the back door, yelling for everyone to stay inside the house.

Like Hell!

If there was trouble I wasn't sitting in the house.

Bella agreed to stay with Nessie and I took off following Edward's scent. A few hundred feet from the house I picked up another that I recognized. I was wondering when Nahuel would show up again. Nessie's birthday was days away.

Just as I was getting close, I could hear Edward speaking, so I stopped. I decided it might be best for now to just hang back and listen in on whatever he had to say.

"Congratulations Nahuel. Almost an entire year without a single drop of blood, not even animal. That's truly amazing." Really he did that?

"Yes well, after last year I realized that I had a lot of work to do. But I wanted to be worthy," Nahuel replied.

Worthy?

"I can see that. How did you do it, cutting yourself off of blood cold turkey?" Edward asked, seemingly in as much disbelief as me.

"It wasn't easy, but I knew it had to be done. I couldn't risk myself around her otherwise." Her? Nessie?

"Well you're to be commended. After feeding from that young girl last year, so close to us, I was beginning to have my doubts about you, but I'm glad to see how seriously you talking this. It is my daughter's life after all."

"Yes I'm well aware, but there is still one more obstacle - her Wolf." Yeah, no kidding I'm going to be an obstacle. He was never going to lay one finger on her.

"Jacob only wants what is best for her, but you should know that he will protect her at all costs. Even disregarding his own life and safety, if necessary. If you hope to have any chance with Renesmee you will need to prove to him that you're not a threat, first. And do not think that just because you have stopped feeding from humans, means in anyway, that you and my daughter are a sure thing. This only means that I'll not interfere or prevent you from attempting to pursue her in the future. It will be her decision, in the end, if she chooses to be with you."

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. That monster actually convinced Edward that he had changed and would not try and kill his daughter when... no, IF they ever...

"Jacob, I know you're there. Why don't you come out and talk to Nahuel," Edward called to me. "I think you will find what he has to say extremely interesting."

I emerged from the tree that I had concealed myself behind and moved toward them. "I heard but you don't think that I would believe, for one second, anything this monster had to say?" I questioned Edward.

"I don't expect you to believe me Jacob. My behavior in the past had been despicable. Especially my behavior towards you. I would ask for your forgiveness but I don't think I deserve it." Nahuel was attempting to apologize to me? Sort of.

"Sorry, still don't believe you," I sneered towards him.

"Jacob, I have seen inside his mind, as you're well aware. You may not trust him, but believe me, he really has changed. After the unfortunate incident with the girl last year, together with your and my reaction to it, along with Nessie's rejection of him and your protectiveness over her, Nahuel reexamined his life and made a change; a permanent one apparently. His diet is completely void of blood, human or animal. It's similar to the change in thinking Rosalie made regarding you."

Oh, really? Wait, No! No way. That's not possible. If it were that easy Jasper would still not be struggling after more than fifty years.

"It's true, he doesn't even seem to crave blood anymore. It might have to do with him being half-Vampire and is able to exist on human food in its place."

How? Nessie can't even go a week without blood, she almost attacked Charlie when she went two weeks between feeding.

"Renesmee is still growing, Jacob. Perhaps she can make a similar change when she stops growing so rapidly and her body ceases to change," Edward said in response to my thoughts.

"Jacob, I have not had any blood, or female _companionship,_ for that matter, for months."

I turned to Edward. "You're sure?"

"Completely."

_He could just be hiding the truth from you, Eddie_.

"He could be. But I don't think he is. I believe he is telling the truth."

_You better be right. _"That does not mean he won't change back though, does it?" I questioned out loud. I had to be sure. I know Nessie deserved to choose who she wanted to spend her life with, and that meant that Nahuel was a possibility, but only if it would not be risking her life.

"It would be highly unlikely. It is hard enough for a Vampire to change once, to do it twice is practically unheard of."

I still didn't trust him. "But there is a chance, he is not a full Vampire. Things are different with him. The fact that he was even able to make this change proves it."

"Jacob, please believe me. I would never want to hurt Renesmee. That's why I tried so hard to do this. So that I might get the opportunity to be worthy of her.

"We'll see. I'll be keeping an eye on you while you're here. And just how long do you plan on staying this time?"

** "**Actually, I was hoping to stay with you, permanently. I wish to make this my home. One of the comments Renesmee made to me, the last time I was here, was that she didn't know me very well. I was hoping to remedy that. I had thought the time we had spent together during my past visits for her birthdays would be enough, but it seems I was wrong."

"You want to move in with us?" No, No way.

"Nahuel, while I applaud your... _perceptiveness_ that you need to get to know my daughter better, and are willing to spend the time to do so, your desire to live under the same roof as her would be highly inappropriate at this time. Also I'm afraid that we simply do not have the room, as you're well aware. I'm more than happy to see if we can arrange for you to stay in the guest room at Carlisle and Esme's house, however. I'm sure they would be more than willing to accommodate you."

"That's wonderful to hear. I believe I have a lot of work to do to before we begin mat -"

"Don't get ahead of yourself." I snapped. "Just because you will be getting to know Nessie better doesn't mean she will develop feelings for you. And besides she is not old enough. She won't even be four years old for another week."

"Yes, she made that clear, on my last visit as well. You do not believe her thinking has changed on that matter?" He was actually questioning us as to whether Edward's daughter felt she was old enough to start... mating? I don't think Edward would ever feel Nessie would be old enough to even _date_ anyone. And I couldn't ever picture me with her, yet.

"You can get to know her, possibly even become friends, but that's all, for now. Jacob is right. She is not even four. She's still a child."

"Really, because she probably looks like an adult by now. What does she appear now... twenty? That seems plenty old enough."

"IT IS NOT!" Edward and I practically shouted in unison. I'm glad we were on the same page about this. Not that I was surprised, but it was good to know that he felt the same way, and just didn't want ME keeping away from Nessie.

"And she looks seventeen, maybe eighteen, at the most. Nahuel, for now I would suggest you just let her get to know you better. She has _time_ still for the other part. I do not want her rushing into anything," Edward said more as a warning than anything.

"Alright Edward, I'll not attempt anything with her... yet. However, I do believe you're incorrect. She is more mature than you give her credit for. But I'll back off, for now." Then he turned to me. "Jacob, I do not want to do anything that would cause you, as her protector, to take action against me. Do I have your word that you will not interfere with my desire to begin a... deeper friendship with her?"

Really? He wants me to give him permission to move in on Nessie? Like hell. He should be thanking me that he was still in one piece right now.

"Jacob, you know she deserves to be able to choose who she wants to be with." Edward reminded me.

Argh! I knew that. But why did it have to be him? No, it would not be him. Nessie was smart, she would see right through him. Maybe her getting to know him better would be a good thing. She would see just what a horrible monster he really was.

But why did this have to seem so familiar? It was like history was repeating itself. Instead of Edward, Bella and me it was Nahuel, Nessie and me. Hopefully things would turn out differently this time for me. Because while Edward turned out to not be the monster I thought he was, I had no such hopes regarding Nahuel. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Edward give me a slight smirk, before he quickly hid it.

Maybe it was just the Imprint talking, but I didn't think anyone could protect Nessie like I could. Maybe Nahuel really did care about her. Maybe he did love her, or at least he wanted to.

"Fine, I won't try and stop you." Much. "But just know I'll be watching."

* * *

Renesmee's Point of View

* * *

Nahuel had returned! Though he had arrived last night I had fallen asleep shortly after my father and Jacob returned with him. I'd gotten worried when they ran out of the house after my father heard him arrive, not knowing what was going on, and my anxiety grew when they did not come back right away, but when they did, and my father looked… happy I instantly relaxed. Jacob looked annoyed, but he and Nahuel never got along. He practically dragged me to bed, as my father accompanied Nahuel to my grandparents house, after he said hello to my mother.

The next morning Nahuel showed up while Jacob and I were eating breakfast. I usually sat with Jacob, keeping him company while he ate, sometimes snacking on some fruit, myself. It didn't fill me up, so I had room for what I really preferred, blood, but it was almost as good. Well as good as human food could get.

Jacob scowled when Nahuel sat down next to me; I really wished they would at least try to get along.

"I didn't think you liked human food," I said as I popped a strawberry in my mouth.

"I've always been able to eat this… stuff, but just preferred my meals a little higher on the food chain," he replied, to which Jacob growled.

"You're staying at the Doc and Esme's place," Jacob scowled as he sat down. "Too good to eat over there?" Why did he have to be so rude?

"They don't have any food over there," Nahuel replied, while taking the plate of waffles my mother handed him. "And no offence to Esme, but I prefer the view over here," he said, his smile growing, as his eyes moved from Jacob to me.

"Nahuel," I said, attempting to diffuse some of the tension, before it built up too much, "I'm going shopping with my Aunt Alice after breakfast for some new school clothes," her idea, not mine, "but I would love to catch up later."

"I would like to speak to you as well. Could we talk now… over breakfast?"

"I guess that works." Aunt Alice wasn't here yet, and I didn't really want to go shopping. School didn't start for a couple of weeks and since I wasn't growing as much or as quickly as I had when I was younger, all of my current wardrobe fit. I had more clothes than I needed, but she insisted that since I was going to be starting college I needed a new, sophisticated wardrobe to reflect my new _mature_ status.

Nahuel then went on to explain, over breakfast, how he somehow, for some reason, gave up blood. No blood, human or animal had passed his lips in almost a year. I didn't see what the big deal was, but Uncle Jasper happen to hear him and did.

He had come over with Aunt Alice and became extremely interested. He started badgering Nahuel with questions trying to figure out exactly how he came to do it. Nahuel however didn't seem to have a concrete answer for him, much to Uncle Jasper's chagrin. He just said it was something he HAD to do.

"Jasper picture life without Aunt Alice," he said. "Could you change your diet, not only giving up human blood, but even your desire for it, if it meant that that was the only way to keep her?"

Unfortunately, or possibly fortunately for him, however you look at it, Alice would never leave him, even if he slaughtered the whole town. They both would leave the Cullens first.

Uncle Jasper didn't seem too happy with his question, or answer for that matter, but in the end he was no worse or better off than before learning of Nahuel's _accomplishment_. He ended up thanking Nahuel for speaking with him before sulking off somewhere.

Aunt Alice whisked me out to the car as soon as I was done eating.

I later found out, from my mother, that Uncle Jasper also had similar troubles with her ease of resisting blood, when she was a newborn. It seemed everyone in the family was better at controlling their desires for human blood than him. But to be fair Uncle Jasper had to deal with everyone else's emotional responses… cravings for it. He needed to go easier on himself. I wanted to try and talk to him, but my mother assured me that this wasn't something I needed to worry about and he would be fine, in a few days.

I wish I could come to terms with things that quickly. Or even make a single decision that fast. Well… one specifically.

I have had almost an entire year to think about my options regarding Jacob and Nahuel. One quarter of my life, technically. Now that Nahuel was back I needed to make a decision. Or at least find a way to help me come to some sort of conclusion.

I surmised that since Jacob and I are to be together, no matter what, due to the Imprint, then the question really was if I wanted Nahuel to be a part of my future too. I needed to get to know him better. Then, and only then, would I break the news to him that Jacob and I were a packaged deal. If he couldn't handle that condition then I guess it was just not meant to be between us.

I didn't like _using_ Jacob but I knew that because he had Imprinted on me he would always be there… waiting in the wings (sort of). It meant that if I did end up choosing him he would still be there. I felt horrible, but there was no risk of my losing him.

Nahuel was the unknown factor. Would he wait around for me forever, like Jacob would?

There was also my procreation deadline to consider. Nahuel and I were the only match of our kind. I guess that meant something, at least to him. Nahuel assumed that the two us becoming a mated pair was already a foregone conclusion. I however didn't think that way, I had a choice.

I knew Jacob understood that, no matter how much it might hurt him. I also knew it possibly would. I could be hurting him by not automatically choosing him, and I would probably hurt him more if I ended up choosing Nahuel. I hated myself for what I was about to do, but I needed to be sure, and if I had another option I needed to explore it. I didn't want to have _literally_ an eternity of regret.

But how was I going to tell Jacob? Maybe I would not have to; maybe he would just automatically know through the Imprint magic. No, not likely. Okay, so I knew I was being a chicken, but was dreading that conversation. I didn't want to hurt my Jacob. Yet I also knew I had to.

* * *

I somehow uploaded, but forgot to post this chapter ... Oops.


	13. The College Plan

**The Worm Moon**

* * *

**Year Five, Chapter Thirteen**

**The College Plan**

* * *

Jacob's Point of View

* * *

Today was finally going my way. Nahuel had been present at every meal since he came back, two days ago. Breakfast this morning was nice. He wasn't there. Silently I hoped he'd given up his ridiculous quest to get Nessie and had returned home with his tail between his legs.

HA! I snorted to myself.

Nessie looked up from the piano, giving me a questioning look as to what was so funny. I just shook my head, not wanting to upset her, for some reason she liked the jerk, as I went back to trying to get my fingers to play the notes she'd just shown me.

She had thought it could be a fun way to spend the morning if she taught me a new song. Sweet Caroline. It wasn't one of her favorites, probably never played it before herself, but told me it was pretty easy to learn and could probably teach me the whole thing on my guitar in a day or two, if not this very morning. I doubted it, but it would mean that not only would we get to hang out all day together, but I could avoid, for a little longer, what I was really supposed to be doing.

"You should stick to howling at the moon," Nahuel's condescending voice caught me off guard. Damn! I knew his absence was too good to be true. "If you're so desperate for a partner, Renesmee, perhaps I could offer you my services."

HE DID NOT JUST IMPLY WHAT I THINK HE DID? DID HE? I growled at him to knock it off. Thankfully Nessie missed his other meaning. If what he had said had upset her I would have done a lot more than growl at him.

"Do you play the guitar?" she asked.

I growled again to make sure he knew to watch what he said this time.

"I've played something similar, back home, but have my pan flute," he said holding up some sort of wind instrument that looked like it was made by sticking smaller and smaller pieces of bamboo together. "If you play that piece one more time, I think I'll have it down enough to accompany you."

I should have known as soon as I saw the instrument in his hands that he came over with the intention of weaseling his way into my time with Nessie.

"I guess we could take a short break, Jacob" she said to me. "Please." And then added with her gift, _He came all this way to visit, Just a little while? _

How could I say no to her? The answer was easy... I couldn't. "Fine, I'm going to get a snack. Do you want anything?" She didn't verbally respond, but I took the sour face she made as a no.

Rummaging through the fridge and cabinets I found what I needed to make nachos.

"Do you want me to cook you some chicken to put on top?" Bella asked, as she and Edward joined me in the kitchen.

"Thanks," I said as I continued piling ingredients onto a plate of chips.

Bella chopped up the raw chicken so it cooked fast, and I was able to add it to the already heaping plate, full of three kinds of cheeses, olives, jalapenos, and onions, before I topped it off with a heaping spoonful of sour cream. Perfect!

Half an hour later, with a full belly, I went to check in with Nessie. The music hadn't stopped, so I didn't think they were done, but I had had enough. The look Nahuel was giving her was enough in and of itself. I think I wasn't the only one who felt that way. Edward had followed me into the room.

"That sounded really beautiful," he said. "But I think that is enough for today. It's almost lunch time and then, Nessie I believe you and Jacob still have to register for your classes for school. The deadline is coming up, so make sure you get it done soon."

Four hours later Nessie and I were sprawled out on the living room floor going over the Dartmouth course catalogs. The courses Nessie had taken online last year, together with the classes she had tested out of, meant we would both be sophomores together. I was still trying to pick a major though.

I had procrastinated long enough, playing chess, taking Nessie hunting, and using her fight training, among other things as the perfect excuses. I would have thought Edward would have put a stop to the fight training, but once he settled down, he eventually came to the conclusion that it was a good idea… in a way. He didn't want to be anywhere near us while it was happening, I could understand that, him not wanting to hear strategies in others mind as to how to attack his daughter. But he should see her, at least once. She was getting really good. And Emmett and Rose were having a blast as well.

Of course all of my earlier fears of Nessie getting hurt were basically for nothing. She was stronger than I realized. And so was her skin. The theory that it might be just as impervious as a full Vampire's turned out to be true; we found out one day when Nessie went flying into a sharp chunk of metal by the garage. It would have sliced her open, had her skin been closer to a humans, or mine for that matter, but the shard just crumpled in on itself. After that we, well _she_, felt it was safe enough to experiment a little, with Carlisle overseeing, just in case. We tried everything we could think of to give her a tiny cut, or even a needle prick. Nothing worked.

Well, eventually something worked. Rose's nails. She was able to scratch Nessie's arm. It was amazing that she had never gotten injured this way, up until now, when we were practice fighting. But I guess it made sense. Vampires could hurt other Vampires, so of course a Vampire could hurt a half-Vampire. It didn't work in reverse though. Nessie's nails weren't able to scratch Rose or Emmett's. They tried scratching each other, to see what would happen and with enough force they were able to break the skin, but it repaired itself instantly.

Nessie's skin was slightly different. The Doc found it immensely fascinating, but I had a mini panic attack watching the first few times, when Rose scratched her. Nessie assured me she was fine but the cut bled! Even though it was just for a second, before the wound closed up, just as fast as my skin repaired itself, it still had to have hurt.

That also meant that if Rose's nails could break through Nessie's skin, so could a Vampire's teeth, and so could mine. However there was no way we were trying that.

But that was yesterday, today I needed to concentrate and finally decide on a major.

"I don't know Nessie. What are you majoring in?" I give up. I'd been going through all of the choices since lunch, three hours ago. My eyes were starting to burn.

"Jacob, just because I pick a certain major, I don't expect you to choose the same," she chuckled "We don't have to do everything together, do we?" She thought this was funny?

"No, it's just everything seems like much more fun when I'm with you. And then you could help me study," I smirked as I playfully pushed her shoulder.

"Don't worry Jacob, I can help you study whether I'm in your class or not," Nessie giggled back. Of course she could. She didn't actually need to go to school to learn, it just gave her something to do during the day.

"Sure, sure. So what _did_ you pick? Do you plan on being a doctor, lawyer, astronaut?

"Ha, ha, ha," she laughed. I loved her laugh. "Yup, you guessed it. Renesmee Carlie Cullen, first Vampire in space." She stuck her fists on her hips and raised her chin in the air, posing in some sort of cheesy superhero stance I know I've seen somewhere before. "But seriously I think NASA might have a slight problem with my accelerated heart rate and high body temperature, among other things." Hmmm, she even looked cute rolling her eyes at me.

"Yeah, but you'd more that make up for it with your super strength and speed. They could overlook that other stuff when they realized how valuable you could be. Image not needing expensive machines to lift heavy stuff, just one little girl," I joked back.

"I'm not that little. I'm almost as tall as Aunt Rose now."

"I think she still has a few inches on you. She's what? 5'10" and you look about 5'7" at the most."

"I'm 5'8" and you know it. That's four inches taller than my mom."

"And six inches shorter than Edward, and still almost a foot shorter than me," I teased.

"Hmmm, maybe I should start wearing six inch heels. Close the gap a bit," she said, sticking her chin up at me in an attempt to appear taller.

"Six inches?" That sounds dangerous. "Why do you want to be taller?"

"Probably for the same reason you want to take the same classes as me. So we can be even closer," she smirked. She was so silly sometimes. "And it's not like I would fall, or trip and hurt myself. Okay so maybe six inches is a bit too much," she chuckled again. "Four?"

"Jacob, I heard you were picking your classes finally. Make sure French is one of them." Alice's voice cut in as she walked through the front door.

"Hi Aunt Alice," Nessie said as she got up and hugged her Aunt. It was mind boggling seeing how Nessie towered over her now. "Why does Jacob need to learn French? He took Spanish in high school and his freshman year of college. That's the only class he's picked out so far."

"Well I'm afraid he is going to have to change course. I had a vision of all of us, well you know, all of us, minus the two of you of course, living near the Caps et Marais d'Opale Natural Regional Park in Calais, France soon." Her eyes got all unfocussed, as she looked at something that wasn't there. I didn't think she was having a new vision, judging by the grin on her face, just happily daydreaming of moving to France.

"But we just moved here last year. We have to leave already? Why?"

"Oh don't worry so much Nessie. I didn't say we were moving right away. We still have a year or two. I think. It would be easier to tell if I could see you, then I would be able to see how much you had grown. Right now I'm not even sure why we move."

"That's it? That's all you can tell us?" I gruffed. French? I had enough trouble with Spanish. After five years I still wasn't very good. Now I needed to learn French in only one to two years?

"Sorry, I don't make the rules," Alice mused. "I would just assume you would want to be able to speak the language, when we do move, Jacob."

"Ouch!" She had thrown something in my lap, which hit me in a very sensitive spot. "What did you do that for?"

"Oh, get over it, you heal fast enough. Now start studying."

"It still hurt. You could have just handed it to me." When _I_ stopped throbbing and looked down I saw that she had hit me with a book, and not just any book, an _Intro to French _book.

"Gee, thanks." I mumbled, more to myself than her, since she had taken off as quickly as she had arrived.

"I guess she didn't want to stay and visit." Nessie looked a bit sad but got over it soon enough. "So I guess we know what you're picking for your language requirement. Now back to the question of a major."

"I think I'm still waiting for you to tell me what you will be majoring in, now that I know your becoming an astronaut is out."

"Very funny Jacob. Could you imagine? They'd probably think I was an alien. Hey there's an idea, maybe in a few hundred years, if humans ever do discover life on other planets, we could all pretend to be aliens and stop hiding." I hoped she was joking.

"Sure, sure. But in all seriousness honey, I think I should take the same classes as you for, like, oh… the next year or two. You've lived a very sheltered life, up until now, but you're going to be entering your sophomore year of college. That means you will be with guys... men really, who are nineteen, twenty, or even older. It's my job to protect you, not only from Vampires," or half-Vampires, "but everything else, including other men. I know you're IDs say you're nineteen years old, but you're not even four, honey. Trust me you're not ready to deal with some of the guys around there." I took a deep breath before continuing. She hadn't attempted to say one word while I was giving my little rant on the dangers of men. I knew that when she got quiet, she was thinking and often that wasn't a good sign, for me at least.

"Let's go through college together this time. I can major in whatever you want. We have forever, so next time you can take your own classes and I'll pick whatever I feel like studying. Just let me do this for you this time."

"Jacob, when are you going to realize that I'm a big girl. Look at me, I'm not a child anymore. I can take care of myself."

"Just the fact that you think that proves you don't know what you're talking about." Ha, Leah had said something like that, almost word for word, to Seth years ago.

Out of the corner of my eye I saw Edward, Bella, Emmett, and Rose walk into the room. They had been upstairs in the music room, listening to Edwards latest composition.

"Renesmee listen to Jacob. He's right. I think it would be a good idea if you stuck with him this time through college."

Really? He does? I would have thought he would want Nessie and I to get more distance. And give Nahuel more time to move in. It had been only two days since his arrival and he was already getting on my nerves.

"Or the rest of the family could arrange to alter our class schedules so we can each take one of your classes with you." I don't think I imagined it, but I swear I saw Nessie cringe when Edward mentioned that. Whatever Nessie was thinking didn't seem to fracture Edwards façade. I guess he was expecting her negative reaction. "You will not be interacting with children anymore. This isn't one of Esme's social experiments. You need someone to guide you and ease you into the real world, darling. It's your choice, all of us scattered throughout your classes or just one? And it would not have to be Jacob, if you didn't want him. If you preferred to choose someone else in the family I'm sure we all would love to have you with us."

"Oh, me, me, me. Pick me.," Rose squealed. "We could take Physics together. It'll be so much fun to go through it with my favorite Niece. And it's easy. Math makes so much sense. Just right and wrong answers, no messiness. I know you don't like that."

"Rose, I do not think Renesmee wants to go through her first college experience with her father. I'm majoring in Physics with you, remember?" Edward reminded her with a smile he gave and received from his daughter..

"I guess that means that you don't want to take art history with Jazz and me either?" Bella sighed. "And I don't think med school with Carlisle would be a good idea."

"No, not with all of the blood," Nessie shook her head.

"Well that leaves Photography with Esme or Women and Gender Studies with Alice and Emmett," Rose snickered.

I think she was as excited to see Emmett go through a Women's Studies class as I was, and to my knowledge she hadn't informed him about what the classes would really be like, and I don't think he had made any effort to find out.

Up until now everyone had been taking the boring prerequisite general studies classes, for the most part, with the exception of Carlisle of course. He started right off as a graduate student wanting to learn as much as possible that was new in medicine and not waste time. This was the first time everyone else would really be separated into different majors at Dartmouth.

"Don't forget you can still pick your own major, you will just have some company," Bella added.

"Thank you all. But, um, could everyone give me a minute to think? Alone!"

Nessie seemed to be thinking about something that was upsetting to her, I could see worry all over her face, but why?

"Of course honey, we'll be over at your Aunts and Uncles house. Why don't you come find us when you make a decision," Edward offered.

Maybe I could see if Rose was doing anything exciting in the garage.

"Actually Jacob, could you stay?" Nessie asked, looking hopeful.

Was she actually doubting that I wouldn't do exactly as she asked? Well, within reason.

"Of course Nessie. What is it honey?"

"I don't want to have to go to college with my family always watching me."

"Not a problem. I already offered to major in whatever field you pick." This would be great, we could be together all day long.

"No, Jacob, I don't want to do that."

No? I could feel the smile on my face fall without my permission. I didn't want to upset her, and seeing my disappointment was sure to do that. I tried to regain my composure as quickly as I could, but I knew she saw it. She never missed anything.

"Did you want to hold off on going to school for now?"

"No, I still want to go, but I want to make a compromise with you."

"What kind of compromise?" Now I was curious.

"Well I was thinking that we could switch things up a bit. I want to join _you_ in whatever major _you_ pick. It doesn't seem right that you have to give up your dreams to follow me. You already moved away from your home and your family. And I know you say that it's not a problem, because you Imprinted on me. But it is. This is one minor thing I can do to at least alleviate some of my guilt."

"It's not an issue, Nessie. I want to be here, with you. So you shouldn't have any guilt, besides I haven't even picked a major yet."

"I know, and I believe that's my fault as well. Or at least it's the fault of the Imprinting." She looked so guilty. "I think the reason you haven't been able to pick anything is because you only want what I want. But if I wasn't here, or if I wasn't going to school too, you could. Can you try to think about what it is you would want to major in? What is it that you want to do with your life?"

Oh, my sweet Nessie… "Honey, my Imprinting on you isn't stopping me from picking a major. In fact my problem is that I can't narrow it down to just one," I admitted. "Maybe you could help me with that. If you really want to go through the next few years of school with me, we both may as well enjoy ourselves."

"Really, Jacob? I'm not stopping you? Or holding you back?" She didn't seem like she believed me. At least not one hundred percent.

"Nessie, Imprinting is a positive thing. It would never happen if it prevented a Wolf from reaching their full potential. I just get the added bonus of having you in my life. But it's not like I'm stuck by your side, waiting on you, hand and foot. I'm not your servant or something. I still have my own free will." _Sort of. _I probably would if she asked me to. But she wouldn't, she was wonderful.

"I know that. I don't treat you like that do I?" She looked horrified by her incorrect realization.

"No, honey, of course not. I didn't mean to imply that."

** "**You're sure?"

"Absolutely. Now if you're going to be majoring in the same thing as me at Dartmouth, you need to help me decide what exactly we will be studying." I smiled the biggest smile I could. I wanted to relax her and not feel like I was putting her under any pressure.

"Alright, Jacob. What are the choices?"

"The first is Native American Studies, but I feel like that would be something that people would expect me to take and not something I'm too excited about. I mean I think it could be interesting to learn about other Tribes across the country and their histories, but not for a career," I didn't even know how one would turn that into a paying job, "at least not right now."

"Maybe _we_ could minor in that?" Nessie offered.

I knew we were perfect for each other. "I was thinking the very same thing." I said leaning in and giving her a slight loving shove. "My next thought was Engineering. I figured I might do well in it, you know, since I'm good with car engines. And my last choice is Environmental Studies. I've grown pretty attached to the forest, and nature, and that kind of stuff, since becoming a Wolf, and it would be nice to protect it." I was also toying with the idea of going into medicine like the Doc, but Nessie would most likely not be able to handle the blood so there was no point bringing it up, currently.

"So you were actually thinking of getting a job after college was over, instead of starting high school again like the rest of the family?" Nessie questioned.

"Nessie, I know I'm only twenty years old, but look at me. Even though I'm not getting any older I don't look like a teenager anymore. I haven't for a while now, ever since I first became a Wolf. I think I look like I'm about twenty-five. That's two years older than Carlisle looks and just a year younger than Esme. Your parents and Aunts and Uncles might be happy repeating high school over and over but I would go crazy doing that. And it was a bit of a miracle that people in Hoodsport actually believed I was young enough to still be in high school." Luckily we were using my actually documents, and my father, and the La Push school officials vouched for my age.

"Oh, of course you're right. You know I never was able to attend high school, but if you truly didn't enjoy it then you shouldn't have to continue repeating it." She was agreeing with me, but why did I still feel her sadness? It dawned on me a second later what it must have been.

"But I promised you that our next time through school you could pick the Major, so I'll go back to school with you, high school and college if you want." She would be the only reason why I would repeat that hell. I would do anything for her. "I'm sure that Jenks guy could find a way to get me back in."

"Jacob, I don't think you'll have to worry about that. I doubt I'll ever be able to attend a high school. Have you looked at me lately either? I look like I'm eighteen."

I just nodded, not sure where she was going with this.

"Well, I'm going to be turning four in a couple of weeks. And I know my growth rate has slowed over the years, but it has not stopped; and it won't until I turn seven. Who knows how old I'll look by then. If Nahuel is any indication, you and I will probably look similar in age. I assume that I'll end up appearing somewhere in my early to mid twenties."

Huh, I never thought of that. I always think of Nessie still as a little kid, despite the fact that she's smarter than me, and she does look eighteen, her IDs say she's nineteen, and she's starting college with me. Do I need to start seeing her differently? Was this due to the Imprint? Edward only seemed to see her in her biological years. I did too. But why? Everything about her was screaming that she wasn't a toddler, but my brain had always refused to listen. Maybe things were starting to change. Or about to. Maybe. I still didn't think of her romantically. Ew, no, no, no, definitely not. Yet it was true, she was getting older, physically. But it was more like noticing my sisters, Rachel and Rebecca getting older.

"But it would be nice to go to college with you, again, perhaps in a decade, or so," Nessie said, taking me out of my crazy thoughts.

"Oh yeah, right. Of course, honey. Whatever you want." I hope she didn't notice how I freaked myself out.

"Wonderful, but for now we still need to settle on a major. Engineering or Environmental Studies?"

"Well I do have forever to go back to school and get as many degrees as I want, and since Alice sees us moving to France, for whatever reason soon, probably before we even have time to graduate, I think I'll go with Engineering this time."

"You know we can continue our studies, in whatever subject you decide in France, Jacob."

"Not likely. I'll probably be having enough trouble just speaking the language, I think attending college will have to wait," I said as I waved the French book around.

"I see what you mean. But Engineering does sound fun."

We spent the next hour registering online for our classes, and luckily even though I had waited till the last minute we were able to sign up for most of the required classes for our now chosen major. Since it didn't look like we would be staying long enough to graduate I guess it didn't matter if we took every class required this year or next. We also found some classes in Native American Studies that looked like they might be fun that fit into our schedule, and of course Alice's French class. Nessie was already fluent but we agreed to stay together for all of our classes, so she would not have to take something else with one of her family members. I wasn't sure why she was so against it, but it meant I could spend even more time with her, so I wasn't about to object.


	14. College (and Trouble) Begins

**The Worm Moon**

* * *

**Year Five, Chapter Fourteen**

**College (and Trouble) Begins**

* * *

Renesmee's Point of View

* * *

Today was going to be my first day of school, ever. I didn't count the online classes I had taken, or the homeschooling I had received from my family.

This was exciting, and terrifying, for me at the same time.

This place was huge! Jacob had driven us and I was overwhelmed just from him pulling his Volvo into the Dartmouth parking lot. A sense of relief overwhelmed me that I had agreed to attend classes with Jacob. Not that I was scared of being around so many humans; we went hunting yesterday, so I wasn't concerned about losing control and attacking someone. It was all just a bit overwhelming.

"How are you doing?" he asked as he turned off the car's engine.

"I'll be fine, as long as you don't leave my side." No use lying to him, he could read me like a book.

"Do you think you feel up to meeting some of my friends before we go into our first class?" He then explained that a few of his classmates that he met last year had called him a few days ago and he agreed to meet them on one of the picnic tables outside of some main building. I was unaware that he'd made that good of friends before. He never went to hang out with them, or even mentioned them to me more than a few times last year, and only then when I pressed him on the subject.

"How many?" I was torn. I didn't want to be overwhelmed on my first day, but I also didn't want to deny Jacob a chance to see his friends.

"Just two. Do you remember me mentioning Rob and Andy? We only had a couple classes together last year, I was surprised when Rob called. He said that Andy checked the class rosters online and saw that we would all be majoring in Engineering together and wanted to meet before class started. You don't mind do you?"

It looked like he was really excited to see them. How could I say no? "Of course not_._"_ I'm happy that you made friends, _I added with my gift. He knew I was nervous and took my hand as we walked. Although we no longer did it very often I loved holding his hand and communicating with him this way.

"Look," he said, pointing over to a couple of humans, "there they are. Come on." He was practically dragging me over, while looking even more excited to see them.

"Jake, dude. Long time no see," a tall guy said. He had deep set, baby blue eyes and blond hair, that had been buzz cut so short it almost made him look bald. He looked to be about the same height as my father and was good looking, for a human, yet didn't even come close to the Vampire perfection I was use to with the men in my family, or the amazing Wolf physique that Jacob and his Pack had. Of course there was no way a mere human could compare to the perfect flawless skin of my family or the chiseled physique of my Jacob, but for a human I could see how others would think he wasn't too bad looking.

"Hey Jakey, we missed you. You couldn't pick up the phone so we could hang out once over the summer?" added a twenty something woman. I thought we were meeting Rob an Andy. Who was she? Some other friend? Jacob had only mention one girl that I could recall. I have a perfect memory, and this woman was nothing like the woman he described. Whoever this is, was the exact opposite of Jenny. Jacob had described her as a behemoth, with an overbite, freckles and curly red hair. This person was of average female height, 5'5", her teeth seemed reasonably straight, and her skin appeared unblemished (at least by human standards), and she had straight brown hair. Whoever she was, she was rather pretty, and she smiled… a lot. At My Jacob. While she seemed pleasant enough, I just didn't seem to like her for some reason, but I couldn't figure out why. I had just met her, after all. I didn't even know her.

"And who's this?" the guy asked.

"Andrea, Robert, this is Vanessa." It was more than a little weird hearing Jacob call me that, but I was enrolled in school as Vanessa Wolfe. It was so strange hearing his friends call him anything other than Jacob. It was all I ever called him. My mother was the only person I ever heard call him anything other than Jacob. Well… no, I guess his Pack mates called him _Jake_ from time to time. But _Jakey_ was new. I didn't like it.

"Nice to meet you, Vanessa... wait… Vanessa?" Robert paused to think for a moment and then his face rose to a grin. "You're not Nessie, are you?" he asked more as a rhetorical question than anything.

"Um… yes," I confirmed.

"Humph," I thought I heard the girl snort. But I must have been mistaken, because a second later she started smiling at me and held out her hand for me to shake. "Nice to finally meet you," she said to me super sweetly. "I'm Andy." At least that solved that mystery. Nicknames! "We were starting to think Jakey made you up. He would talk, and talk, and talk about you all the time, but never brought you around."

"Can you blame him. Look at her. If I had a girlfriend that looked like her I would keep her locked away too." Rob smirked at me. I could tell Jacob wasn't happy with his comment but I was taken completely off guard by it.

Girlfriend? Was I Jacob's girlfriend? Traditionally, for humans, I knew a girlfriend was a person one dated, before marrying or mating with. Which before I started considering Nahuel, I guess would have meant that that would have been me, for Jacob. And since I have not mentioned my indecision yet, and temporarily rejected Nahuel last year, I could see where Jacob might think that, I guess. But didn't people normally "go out" on dates, after asking the person out? Of course, up until now, I was pretty much confined to the house, with the exception of hunting. Were our hunting trips _dates_ to Jacob? I think I needed to clear this up and let Jacob in on my plans sooner than planned.

But at the current moment, I was getting a little uncomfortable by the way Rob was leering at me. It reminded me a bit of the way that Volturi pervert, Demetri eyed me. I could now see why Jacob had insisted on accompanying me through college. Were all men like this?

At least Jacob moved slightly in front of me, effectively blocking Rob's direct line of sight.

"Dude, I'm shocked you failed to mention the girl you're dating's so hot," Rob added with a wink, as he tried peering around Jacob.

What? Hot?

"No, Nessie and I aren't dating -" Jacob started trying to deny Robs misconception, but it wasn't easy since he was also trying to calm himself down, while continuing to block me from Rob who hadn't stopped trying to get past him. Apparently this was a fun game to him, but he didn't realize what a gamble he was currently taking with his life.

I wasn't worried though. Jacob wouldn't lose control over something as miniscule as someone trying to look at me. Even though he knew it was making me uncomfortable. Hurting Rob would make me more uncomfortable. And the consequences would be disastrous. And who cared what this guy thought?

But… was I hot? Perhaps I should ask Jacob that too at a later time. Right now I needed to deal with the current situation. They… and Jacob, needed to know that we were not dating.

I wasn't sure how to say it, though. Nothing Jacob was saying seemed to be getting through to them. "Jacob and I live together," I ended up blurting out.

"Really, you too are sleeping together?" Andy seemed surprised. How much had Jacob told them about me? About us? And why was Jacob looking so strange now?

"Yes, well only for the past few weeks. My parents wouldn't let us before that. They thought -"

Jacob quickly turned around to face me. "NESSIE, stop, please. Some things are... um, private," he stated barely above a whisper.

He looked so upset. What was wrong? Jacob actually looked... I don't know… worried?

And why did Andy look so sad? Whatever was going on Rob thought it was hilarious. He couldn't stop himself from laughing even though no one else was joining him.

"I think we had better go, honey. We'll see you guys in class," Jacob said as he grabbed my hand and dragged me away gently, but hurriedly.

As we were leaving I tried to say how it was nice meeting them both and how I guessed I'd see them in class, but I don't know if they heard me.

When Jacob was done relocating us, and finally stopped, I used my gift to ask him what was wrong. _Did I say something incorrect? Should I not have said anything? _

"Nessie," Jacob huffed, "you can't go around telling people we're sleeping together. It doesn't mean the same thing to them as it does to us. They don't know that you're only four years old." His voice had gotten softer and softer as he spoke, so much so that I had to strain my ears to hear at the end.

I wanted to scream at him that I wasn't four. When was he going to realize that? But he still seemed so worked up that I didn't want to risk upsetting him more. We were still in public and he needed to calm down. But I also needed to find out what got him so upset in the first place.

"You and I know it's perfectly innocent sweetheart, but when you tell humans that you're sleeping with someone," he continued "you're implying that you're having sex with them." He got quiet for a second, like he was trying to figure something out. "It is still innocent for me," Jacob said. "I need more time. And you…" he never finished his thought, and looked a little embarrassed.

I guess I understand why he got so upset. Especially if he still saw me as a child. Stupid human rules! But I needed to make this right, at least until his thinking of me changed.

_Of course Jacob. I didn't mean to imply anything... improper going on between us. I'm sorry. I forget sometimes that our situation isn't normal to humans. I'll try to adjust my speech to fall in line more with what I have observed on television and movies. "_You're not that upset are you?" I added out loud. "I won't repeat what I did last summer."

"Okay," he looked relieved. Well a little, but he was still not exactly relaxed. "I'm not upset. It's just that Rob tends to blab about things. What you said might get out around school."

"Well if you didn't want people to think that, then why did you tell your friends that we were dating?"

"Nessie, I didn't do that. They must have just jumped to conclusions." His brows then creased, the way they did when he was deep in thought. "I guess I can understand why," he admitted slowly. "I was always talking about you, to them, last year. I missed you so much when I was here, and you were still stuck at home. And then we came here today, together, holding hands, and I guess they just... I tried correcting them when Rob said that, but then you started talking over me. Crap!" he rolled his eyes. "I don't even want to think about what's going to happen if Edward hears about it in some random kids mind."

Yikes! He didn't seem worried, which made me worry more. I didn't want another incident between the two of them. I needed to fix this _myself_ and fast.

"I'll speak to my father before anything gets out of hand. In fact I should call him right now," I said while taking out my phone. "He doesn't have class until this afternoon and if Rob really is a person prone to gossip then it will probably be in enough people's minds, even in a school as big as this, that my father will definitely hear something and overreact before we even have a chance to explain."

"Sure Nessie, but call him later, right now we need to go to class. We don't want to be late for our first day, that would piss him off too." He saw the worried look on my face. "Fine, but call him on the way, if it's really bothering you."

As expected my father wasn't too happy to hear the news, but at least he wouldn't try to tear Jacobs head off when they saw each other later.

"Do you think we'll have time to explain things to Rob and Andy after class, Jacob?" I asked as we sat down in two of the unoccupied chairs next to each other.

"Um, we can try honey, but I'm not sure how effective it'll be. Saying one thing and then taking it back a little later is not the best way to make people believe you." Jacob let out a small sigh. "But if it's something that upsets you, having people think that about us, I'll try my best to convince them it's not true."

"Oh, no Jacob, it's alright. You don't have to do that for me. I don't care what humans think, I just didn't want things to be awkward for you." Especially when I finally get my courage up and talk to Jacob about Nahuel.

"Well, let's just get through this class," he said, dropping his voice as more people entered the room. "Maybe nothing will come of it. This is college, most people probably won't even care. They're all dating each other, on and off, all the time. Students, professors, everybody. No one really cares who's seeing who, or who broke up with whom. If this were high school, we might have a problem. I'm probably just overreacting over nothing," Jacob added.

* * *

I know this chapter is short, but i thought the humor more than made up for it. Agree? Disagree?


	15. The Tough Talk

**The Worm Moon**

* * *

**Year Five, Chapter Fifteen**

**The Tough Talk**

* * *

Jacob's Point of View

* * *

Rosalie, Emmett, and I were in the garage working on some new wreck Blondie got me. Okay, Rose and I were working on the car, Emmett seemed to be doing anything he could think of to hinder our progress.

As we were working we had been talking about some of our classes, sorta. I told them about the engineering classes Nessie and I were taking, but everything Rose had said about physics just sounded like gibberish to me. At least hearing Emmett tell us how he was really _loving_ his Women's Studies classes was all I had hoped for. I nearly broke the cars crankshaft laughing so hard. That would have been unfortunate, because it was one of the only parts on this car that didn't need to be fixed or replaced.

It felt good to laugh. Working on the car was one of the only things that was taking my mind off of the gossip going around the Engineering Department, regarding me and Nessie. I think that was why Rose got it for me. Everyone in the family knew. Some were more upset than others. But Nessie was young; mistakes happen. She just misspoke, and really, it was my fault. I should have intervened better… sooner In the whole scheme of things it wasn't that big of a deal, really. And she was right, who cared what the humans thought.

Okay so it did bother me, a lot. I was trying to not let it. It was just so hard.

While Nessie said she didn't care about mindless human gossip, that didn't stop me from hearing and seeing a few of the guys leering and gossiping about her, behind her back. At least they only talked to each other; and since I never left her side, they never approached her.

But the rumors continued to spread and on more than one occasion, over the next few weeks, I found myself growling, under my breath, at one group of guys or another. Why would they think that if Nessie was sleeping with me, she would with them as well? But then again, she was beautiful. It was why I wanted to be with her when she was at school, I needed to protect her.

Hopefully something else would happen at school soon, and some new fascination would grab everyone's interest, taking their attention off Nessie.

There was nothing I could do for now. Nessie, could hear what was being said as clearly as me. She reiterated that she didn't care, and didn't want me to do anything. As much as I wanted to, I couldn't go against her wishes, so that left me just stewing.

And then there was Rob… I couldn't believe he told as many people as he did. And when I found out exactly _what_ he said, it made me want to smash him into tiny bits. Not that I would, he was human, and Nessie explicitly said that she did not want me to kill him. That left a lot of wiggle room, in my opinion. But I decided not to do anything… yet. The damage was already done. I didn't want to upset Nessie. But it still bothered me why Rob would even say the things he had in the first place. I thought he was my friend. He claimed it was just "locker room talk", but I didn't care what he said it was, it didn't excuse anything. No one should speak about Nessie, or anyone for that matter, like that. While I was unable to put a stop to his gossip, our friendship was over.

I tried concentrating on the car. My best guess was that it used to be a '62 Ferrari 250 GTE. It was in such bad shape I could barely tell. I was amazed Rose was able to find so many original parts for it. I guess when money was no object it makes things easier, even obtaining obscure almost obsolete engine parts.

"Hey Jacob, don't worry. Whatever we can't find we can just have custom made," she smirked. Where was that thinking when it came to my Rabbit? "Don't worry about it. I've got it. YOU have much more important things to concern yourself over."

"I do? What?" Schools going okay. At least the classes were. There were no outsider Vampire threats in the area, we haven't heard from that Volturi pervert in months. Wasn't the car supposed to be taking my mind off of the Nessie and me rumors? What else was there?

Rosalie saw the confused look on my face. "Renesmee!" she said as if the answer was obvious.

"What's wrong with Nessie?" I jumped up from where I was seated on the floor. What had I missed? She told me she was fine with everything. Was she actually upset by Rob's gossip?

"Nothing's wrong with her. But while you're in here with us, she's out with HIM."

"Rob?"

"No, you idiot. The other pig."

Nahuel? Rosalie couldn't even say his name anymore. Not since she learned how he would dispose of his conquests by feeding from them, to avoid any complications, i.e. children. I guess it was kinda good that he didn't want to be like his father in that way.

But he was a Vampire. Well half, anyway. But he wasn't like the Cullen's. I knew that. His Aunt had red eyes. I knew what they ate, at least what he ate in the past. I believe his Aunt, and her new mate, still feed from humans. Nahuel recently switched to eating only human food but Rose still didn't trust him. I didn't like him either but I was _trying_ to give him a pass after our conversation with Edward a month ago. And I keep reminding myself that he did save Nessie's life, all those years ago, from the Volturi.

He had changed. Edward assured me he had. Not just his diet, he had given up women, altogether. It was the only reason I was able to be in the garage while Nessie hung out with him right now. She was just in the house, making another fruitless attempt to teach him chess.

Why was Blondie so worried? Edward had explained to her his complete change, just like he had with me. And she had seen for herself how Nahuel had been eating entirely human food since he arrived this time. He claimed to truly have changed in the last year, and his behavior seemed to confirm it.

"They're just friends Rosalie, she isn't interested in him that way." She told me so. "And I don't think he's suddenly going to decide he's hungry, and try to have her as a snack."

"Don't be so sure. You heard what he said about his past. How he would ensure he didn't end up like his father."

WHAT! I was enraged. How could she think that my sweet little Nessie could... No, it wasn't possible. She would have told me. She tells me everything. She doesn't think of him that way, I kept repeating to myself. (I silently prayed she would pick me when she got older.) But him? Would he take advantage of her like that? No, he said he just wanted to get to know her - for the time being, at least, and he would wait, for now. Edward would hear something in his thoughts if he changed his mind. Blondie was wrong. "That's ridiculous. Nothing's going on between them."

"No, not yet. But I've seen the way he looks at her. He's just waiting, getting close to her, becoming her friend, so that when she's ready he can make his move. It's only a matter of time."

"Edward would never allow anyone to hurt her." I knew I was grasping at straws. If she had changed her mind and returned his affections, then no one, not Edward, Bella, Rose, or myself would be able to stop her. Normally I loved her stubbornness, but not now, not with him.

"Edward has faith in him. Too much in my opinion. He thinks Nahuel will be able to control himself, when and if the time comes, like he was able to do himself, with Bella, when she was still human. He wants Renesmee to be able to make her own choices. But she's like my own daughter, and I could never take that risk. You however, would never hurt her. You're not capable of it," she smiled at me.

That was true. Because of the Imprint, I won by default in Rosalie's eyes. She loved Nessie more than she hated me, but Nahuel was too much of a risk. Technically she didn't hate me anymore, and we had become friends over the years. But it wasn't Rosalie that I needed to win over, it was Nessie. And I didn't even realize I should have started fighting for her yet. She was just still so young. But if it meant protecting her I guess I needed to start.

But then, oh crap, a thought occurred to me, and I hung my head. "I can't." It came out as a whisper.

This is so embarrassing. I haven't had any desires of a sexual nature in years, ever since I Imprinted on Nessie as a baby. I didn't mind at the time. I barely noticed. In truth I hadn't noticed at all until my Pack brought it up a couple of years ago. It didn't seem to matter before. It wasn't like I would do anything with Nessie when she looked like a child, even if everyone knew she was mentally years ahead of me by her first birthday.

"What's wrong now?" Rose huffed.

How am I going to explain this to her? "I only want what Nessie wants. Clearly she doesn't want me like that."

"How do you know that? She loves you."

"It's not a romantic love. I would feel it if it was. I would have a _physical_ reaction if she did. I would be able to -" I didn't want to say it, please get where I'm going with this. Oh! Why did we have to have to be having this conversation in front of Emmett?

"Oh, you mean you can't... You haven't -" I have never seen Rose's eyes so big.

Emmett started roaring with laughter.

"No," was all I was able to get out.

"Wow, I was wondering how you were able to keep things in your pants," Emmett went on, "with Nessie looking so grown up these days. And you sleeping next to her at night, too. I guess the gossip around school is untrue after all. I was beginning to wonder if Edward was giving you a free pass since you Imprinted on his daughter."

I know he was just joking but that didn't stop me from wanting to kill him right then and there. But instead I just started growling at him... for now.

"Seriously have you looked at her recently. Pretty hot," he added.

"Emmett, she's FOUR and your Niece!" I snarled. What the hell?

He laughed again, louder this time. "Just giving you a hard time dude."

"Well, we'll just have to work around it, and change her mind," Rose said, ignoring her husband.

"But don't you see, I can't. She doesn't want me. I could never force her to do anything she didn't want to do, let alone be with me if she chooses someone else."

"But it's you who doesn't see. She hasn't chosen either of you yet? You still have time. You need to fight for her. Does she even know how you feel?"

"Of course she does." I reminded her of the incident that happened during our movie night, shortly after Nessie got her first period. Everyone in the family had found out, of course. But at the time Nessie was physically too young and I had to stop her. She said she understood, but did she think I was permanently rejecting her? I had told her that I loved her and we could be together, in that way, when she was older, but she hadn't tried anything since. Did she think that I would never want her like that? That I was just trying to placate her at the time? Oh no! What had I done? I thought I was doing the right thing, but had I lost her forever, romantically at least?

"I don't think it's as big of a problem as you're making it out to be," Rosalie said. "Nessie's a smart girl. I'm sure she knows what you meant."

"I hope you're right," I agreed, "but if she picks Nahuel, what can we do? It's her choice who she wants to be with and we need to respect that. You know he's changed. He won't hurt her and," though it hurt me to say it, "I believe he does care for her. He could make her happy. Isn't that what's most important?" Don't get me wrong. I don't want her to pick him, but if she did I guess I would survive, since she would. I would ensure it.

"That's good to hear, I'm so glad you have changed your opinion about Nahuel," Nessie voice rang from the doorway.

"Nessie? How long have you been listening?" What had she heard? I hope she didn't hear _everything_.

"Not long. I'm sorry I didn't mean to eavesdrop on your conversation," she said, looking sadly over to Rose. "I just heard you defending Nahuel," she said to me. "It's nice to hear that you two are finally going to start getting along. I'm so glad you realize that he would never hurt me... because I wanted to talk to you about him, Jacob." She got silent for a minute. It seemed like whatever she was about to tell me was hard for her.

Was he leaving and she would miss him? But he had mentioned that he was going to be staying longer this time. Maybe that was it. She didn't realize I already heard that he planned to stay and she was trying to break the news to me gently.

"Jacob you know how Nahuel has been coming here, year after year? To get to know me? In order for things to eventually... well, in the hopes that someday we might -"

She looked so nervous. I guess I could help her out just a bit, without embarrassing her and being too explicit. "Nessie, I know why he comes here. We all know he's here for you, and not just to celebrate your birthday." Some of her tension decreased, but she still seemed nervous.

"Okay, well... I think I need to see what he's like on a more personal level."

"What are you saying, Renesmee?" Rose actually growled. I had never heard her growl at Nessie before. Emmett heard it too and moved to position himself behind Rose.

"Calm down babe, let her talk before you bite her head off." He whispered in her ear.

"I think it's time he and I started dating," Nessie said flat out.

"Oh," was the only sound I was able to get out at that moment. I was too late. This was my worst nightmare coming true. I know I just defended him to Rosalie but I never actually, truly believed it would happen. I had always told her she had a choice and I meant it. So if that's what she wanted I guess I would have to live with it. What else could I do? Well, live with it, and protect her... forever. I just hope I would not need to protect her from Nahuel.

Rosalie wasn't as accepting though. "NO!" she screamed. "You stay away from HIM!"

"Calm down babe," Emmett said as he grabbed her in a hug. I know he was trying to comfort and restrain her all at once and I was suddenly thankful I had resisted the urge to throttle him a minute ago.

"Rosalie, why don't you give me some time to talk to Nessie alone. It'll be okay. Trust me," I said ushering Nessie out the door. I didn't really know if it would be, but I wanted to get Nessie away from her. She seemed a bit dangerous like this, not that I thought she would ever intentionally hurt Nessie, but accidents happen.

"Nessie, let's go for a walk," I suggested, continuing to lead her out of the garage and into the woods towards one of our favorite spots, near where we found the birch wood for her chess set.

"Please don't look so sad, my Jacob. We'll always be together. You know I love you," she told me once we arrived and sat down on one of the many scattered log.

Did I look sad? "I love you too Nessie, but why now?" And why him? "I thought we were in agreement that you were still too young? You're only four years old. You have forever, there is no need to rush into things."

"No, you, and the rest of the family, believe I'm too young. I don't. And Nahuel doesn't either. And I don't mean to sound harsh but you have no idea what you're talking about. You didn't have a life like mine, growing and learning as quickly as I have. Nahuel has. He knows how mature I am. And I hear the guys at school, they don't seem to think I'm too young... for anything." I just raised my eyebrows and gave her a look like she was crazy for that last one. She must have known how that was a long shot towards her arguments, but didn't seem to care. I could feel how she needed me to understand her way of thinking, her way of seeing the world. She believed she was old enough for this. She felt that she was and she needed me to start realizing that, too. But I was unwilling to give up so easily.

"Nessie I've been with you since the day you were born. I know you better than anyone. There's still so much for you to learn, to experience before -"

"And just how do you expect me to get that experience Jacob, if I'm never allowed to do anything? I can't be cooped up at home forever. I thought you understood," she sighed, her exasperation evident. "I thought my going to college was everyone's way of telling me that you all finally saw me as an adult. I look like one don't I? When you rejected me a year and a half ago it was because you thought I still _looked_ too young. Well I don't look too young anymore. Do I?"

"No." She had me there. And I could tell I wasn't going to change her mind about this. This is what she wanted and _needed_. I could feel it thought our Imprinting. I had to let her do this. I just also had to hope she would be safe. I took a deep breath to calm myself before speaking again. I wanted to make myself perfectly clear and not have her think I was speaking out of hurt, anger, or fear. "Just promise me to please be careful with him. Go slow and don't do anything you're not ready for. Nahuel is older than you, more experienced." Much more. She looked so embarrassed, and a little angry. I didn't want her feeling that way. This must be as hard and strange for her as it was me. She was so young and innocent, and I was the other man, for all intents and purposes. "You're still just so young, even if you don't think so. I don't want him taking advantage of you."

I didn't like the thought of what I would need to do soon. I would have to watch them, well watch over her when she was _with_ him; not in some sinister peeping tom sort of way, but just to make sure she stayed alive and in one piece.

"Jacob, it's only dating. I just need to see if there's a possibility of us being together."

Humph, I had a feeling her idea of dating and Nahuel's were going to be very different. But she had me to ensure that things didn't go too far or too fast on these _dates_. But what if I was wrong?

"So then..." how could I ask my next question, without offending or embarrassing her more? "Do you intend to… pick up where he left off in the woods last year?"

I didn't think her eyes could open that wide. "No, certainly not. I don't know him well enough for that yet," she replied, and I breathed out a heavy sigh of relief. Wait… YET? "But I have to begin somewhere, if we might ever have a future together."

"But why him?" And why not me? "Is this because of what happened in the past between me and Bella? You never really got over it like you said you did, and you're still mad at me, right? Is that why you don't want me?" This was my fault. I had lost her because of my own stupidity when I was a teenager.

"Jacob, I'm not going to date Nahuel to punish you. I'm not mad at you and I don't want to hurt you. I just need to explore all of my options."

"Have you mentioned this to Bella and Edward yet?"

"Yes, my father was the one who suggested I start dating him... um... first."

"He did?" That was the one thing I thought Eddie and I would be in agreement with, but I guess Nahuel's change had altered his thinking more than I realized. I thought he would have required her to wait longer, at least until she turned seven and stopped aging.

"Um, should I give this back to you?" she asked, fingering the promise bracelet I made her for her first Christmas. I had woven and rewoven it many times over the past few years, each time she grew, so that it grew with her, but it was essentially the same bracelet.

My hand shot out and clasped hers. "No, keep it, please. Even if you no longer want to wear it. I gave you that as my promise to you, that I would always be there for you, not the other way around. Of course if you don't want it... or _me_, then I guess you could -" Could what? Throw it in the garbage, like a worthless piece of trash? Did she really not want it anymore? Did she not want _me_ anymore? No, she just told me she loved me and we would always be together. Just not romantically, apparently. But had she changed her mind already? Why did I have to bring up my past with Bella?

"NO! I want to keep it, I just didn't know if you still wanted me to have it, seeing as I'll be with... him."

"Nahuel. It is okay. You can say his name. I'm a big boy. I can handle this." I forced a smile onto my face, trying to defuse some of the tension. "I've always told you that you deserved to make your own decisions, and choose who you wanted to be with, and I meant it. I always assumed it would be Nahuel, if it wasn't me you chose. It's not like there are a lot of other options. Well I guess if you fell in love with some human and asked Carlisle to change him for you -"

It was amazing what I was willing to _tolerate_ if it meant that Nessie would be happy. Not too long ago I wanted to kill each and every Cullen when I thought Edward had turned Bella. Now I was practically offering to go find some poor pathetic human, to be killed, or made undead, for Nessie, if she wanted him.

"No, no humans. I couldn't take a life, or change one, anymore than you could. You were right. It is between you and Nahuel." Hmmm, she thought better of me than I did.

Wait did she say "is" and not "was"? Did I still have a chance? Was her decision not final? I could only hope.

But then again, Nahuel had changed. For her. He went through a miraculous change solely for the chance to be with Nessie. He did seem to genuinely care for and about her. And she was picking him, at least for now it seemed. I would not stand in her way if it was what made Nessie happy. That was the most important thing. If she was happy, I would be happy.

After our talk Nessie went to talk to Edward. I was going to go back to the garage, but halfway there changed my mind. I didn't think I would be able to concentrate enough to not damage the thing. Instead I went for a run in my wolf form. I was halfway to Canada before I realized that the sun was starting to go down and turned around. A few hours later I had somehow made my way back to the house. It was like I was in a dream though, or a nightmare. Nothing seemed real.

"Hi Jake."

"Huh?" I was in the reading room, but had no memory of walking in there. Bella was in there as usual, re-reading one of her old books that she had already read a thousand times. "Oh, hey, Bells. What ya reading?"

"Emma," she replied. "It's one of my favorites. Would you like to borrow it when I'm done?"

"Nah, not really my style," I told her in all honesty.

"Have you ever read it? Or any of Jane Austen's other works?" I shook my head. "Then how do you know?"

"Good point, but still no," I said as I stole a quick look at the cover. Gross, even the picture on it had a lady in a froufrou dress. "I always thought you were born in the wrong century, Bells," I told her as I grabbed it and started flipping through the pages. "You might like all those books, art, furniture," I said pointing to the antique chair she was sitting in, "husband from the dark ages, but I prefer something a little more modern day." I hadn't come here intending to insult Edward, or her, and I didn't mean to now, I was just in a bad mood and couldn't help myself. "So what's the book about that has you so enraptured you have to keep reading and rereading it?" I said while tossing it back to her.

At first I didn't think she was going to tell me, but then she scrunched her face, relaxed it and started talking. "Well there's Emma, she's a wealthy heiress, who spends the entire novel either matchmaking or fretting about others relationships, while determined to never get married herself. Mr. Knightly, was sixteen when she was born. He's been there all her life, falling in love with her along the way. But she's clueless and doesn't see it, thinking of him more as a brother."

This was starting to sound familiar.

"Anyway," she went on, "for a while Emma thinks she's in love with this other guy, Frank Churchill. But he was all wrong for her, and secretly engaged to someone else. It turns out he was only using her. Knightly is horrified when he finds out, worried about how Emma would take the news, but she realized she never really like him, much more than a friend anyway. She finally realized who she was really in love with."

"Let me guess… this Knightly guy."

"That's right. Listen to this part," Bella said, as she turned to the correct page and began reciting a passage, without even bothering to look down.

_"Long, very long, she felt she had been first; for, having no female connections of his own there had been only Isabel's whose claims could be compared with hers, and she had always known exactly how far he loved and esteemed Isabella. She had herself been first with him for many years past. She had not deserved it; she had often been negligent or perverse, slighting his advice, or even wilfully opposing him, insensible of half his merits, and quarreling with him because he would not acknowledge her false and insolent estimate of her own - but still, from family attachment and habit, and thorough excellence of mind, he had loved her, and watched over her from a girl, with an endeavour to improve her, and an anxiety for her doing right, which no other create had at all skated. In spite of all her faults, she knew she was dear to him; might she not say, very dear?"_

"Is that the reason why you like it so much, 'cause your name's in it?"

She just gave me a strange look. Guess not.

"What's always bothered me," she continued, "is that if they had just spoken up and talked to each other, beforehand, they could have saved themselves a lot of heartache. But then I guess there wouldn't be a story." Then she raised her eyebrows at me, like she was expecting me to comment, but what was I supposed to say to that. "I guess it doesn't matter anymore, or at least not now."

"Um, okay…" Mysterious much? "So what happens at the end of the book?"

"It's a Jane Austen novel, Jake," she told me, as if it was obvious. "The same thing that happens in all her books. They get married and live happily ever after."

"Yeah figured. Too bad life wasn't like a novel. I'm going to go get something to eat."

* * *

I messed up and somehow forgot to post chapter 12 - Nahuel's Return. It's up now, so please go back and read it.

Thanks. And sorry for the mix up.


	16. Driving and Dating

**The Worm Moon**

* * *

**Year Five, Chapter Sixteen**

**Driving and Dating**

* * *

Renesmee's Point of View

* * *

"Jacob, did you open your invitation yet? It came in the mail this morning," I asked him as I popped my head into our bedroom. I didn't think he would but there was the chance that he might be happy about it.

"What invitation? Did we get invited to a party or something?"

"Um, no, not a party exactly. Here," I handed it to him, after retrieving it from the entryway table. He must not have seen it when we returned from class today.

He seemed so sad as he began opening the envelope. Maybe this was a mistake. Even if I couldn't help the timing of its arrival I shouldn't have been the one to give it to him, and I don't think he'll be happy to see it. "Thanks, hon... I mean Ness…, err Renesmee," he corrected under his breath.

"Jacob, please don't do that." I grabbed his hands just before they pulled out the invitation, needing to clarify things between us and that traitorous piece of paper would not help right now. "Just because I have my first date with Nahuel next month," I know it was far off, since I told Jacob the other day about my plans, but I wanted to give him some time to get use to the idea, "it doesn't mean you can't call me all of the nice nicknames you've used all these years, ever since I was a baby. It's still me, still us. Right?"

"I doubt Nahuel will appreciate it. I know I wouldn't like it if I was the one who got too... um... and someone else was calling you their pet names... it wouldn't be right."

"I disagree," I shook my head. "I'm your Imprint, those rules don't apply to us. We're going to be together forever. You and me, and maybe him too. I should be able to call you whatever I want, and so should you."

"Alright... honey," he relented and even managed to crack a smile when he said _honey_. "So if that's settled can I read this now?" I was still gripping his hands but released them now and he pulled out the paper. I watched helplessly as his face fell. Damn, stupid timing. How could I have been so thoughtless?

"Jacob? Are you okay?" I doubted he would be.

"Um, I... Crap! I'm sorry Nessie. I'm fine really. I just thought, well hoped, things would have worked out differently. But I guess that won't happen now."

"Do you want to go? If we both received a wedding invitation they probably invited all the Wolves and their Imprints. Sam's Pack too. Embry never mentioned anything when you Skyped with him?"

"Yeah, he did. It's just happening so fast. But this isn't an invitation. It is a 'Save the Date' card. Sort of a pre-wedding invitation. The wedding is so far off that couples like to mail these out to guarantee guests won't make other plans. It's only October honey. The wedding isn't for another four months," he said pointing to the fancy script that had the February 14, 2011 date listed on the card. "The official invitations will probably come sometime in January."

"Oh." I guess that made sense. "So how is Embry doing with all of this? It must be hard that his Imprint is marrying someone else."

"He's not doing that bad," Jacob shrugged. "According to him Henry's a good enough guy and really seems to love Colleen." He then added under his breath, "Just not as much as Embry does."

Deciding not to unintentionally upset Jacob more, instead of addressing what he just said, I mentioned how I was glad that they were all getting along. "I was worried about Embry when he finally decided to come clean to Henry about the whole mistaken gay vibe."

"Yeah, well it hasn't all been completely peachy between them either. It was more than a little rocky for awhile, and it's only recently gotten slightly better between them. But since Embry doesn't see Colleen romantically, Henry eventually figured out the same thing. Not that he knows anything about Imprinting, or Wolves, or anything. But I think Embry is trying his best to show him that he just wants to be a really good friend to Henry's future wife."

"It's nice that they're able to work together to _share_ Colleen like that."

"Yeah, to an outsider it probably seems strange, but they're trying their best to make it work," Jacob said.

I hoped, if all goes well between Nahuel and I, that the three of us will be able to make things work, just like them.

* * *

Jacob's Point of View

* * *

"So what do you think, Jake?" Nessie asked me as I pulled the car into the Cullens garage after returning home from school.

It was November and sometime after her first month of college, Nessie started calling me "Jake" on and off, when we were just casually talking. She seemed to go back to calling me "Jacob" when we were talking about something more serious, but even then it was fading away. It was understandable, she heard just about every other person who talked to me calling me "Jake" and not "Jacob". I didn't mind the difference, I actually kinda liked it, although it did shock me the first time I heard her say it. I'm not sure if she even realized she did it, she hadn't made a facial expression, one way or the other, to give me any clues. It was a little thing and no one else seemed to give it a second thought, but to me it was significant… another step she took as she got older. She had done the same thing years ago when she transitioned from calling Bella "momma" and then "mom" back when she still looked like a toddler.

"I don't think your parents are gonna go for it," I told her.

"Why not? My passport and all of my IDs say I'm eighteen. I'm enrolled in college as a sophomore. Don't you think it's about time I learned how to drive? I can't continue to be dependent on the entire family every time I want to go somewhere."

"And why would you want to go anywhere without me, honey," I jokingly asked. "You know I'll drive you wherever you want to go. If you ever need anything you can always ask me."

"I know, Jacob, but it would be nice just to have the option, sometimes. What if I want to go out and you're busy, or sick, or hurt." I just gave her a smirky look for that one. She knew she was grasping at straws, knowing how I don't get sick and heel exceptionally fast. "Okay," she sighed, acknowledging my point, "well what if I want to go and get you something for a surprise, without you seeing it? I'm just saying that it would be nice to have a little freedom every now and then."

"And what do you think your parents are going to say about this, you know they still see you as a little kid. Four year olds don't drive."

"They don't see me that way anymore. I'm old enough to date now, remember." How could I forget. She smiled as I winced, but tried to cover it, so I wouldn't upset her. "Jake, I can build and rebuild an entire car engine with my eyes closed. I dream of them in my sleep. I love cars and don't want to be stuck in the passenger seat forever. I want a chance to be the driver. It's only fair." Though she was trying to be serious her tone came out whiney, ironically just like a real four year old kid.

Argh, she knew I could never really say no to her. "Alright, Nessie. If Edward and Bella agree to it, I'll teach you how to drive, you win," I chuckled over to her.

Contrary to what I assumed, Bella and Edward approved, quite readily, to my teaching Nessie, on the condition that I teach Nahuel to drive as well. I'm sure Nessie could see the disappointment, or resentment, on my face, but after my failed attempts to change their minds and just teach Nessie, I eventually gave in, knowing that it was the only way to get her what she wanted.

Why Nahuel? And why me? I know Bella said that if he was going to be staying here, he really needed to learn how to drive but why did I have to be the one to teach him?

The next day, I kept my promise to _both_ of them. It actually took Nessie no time at all to learn, she pretty much had everything all down, just from watching me drive over the years. Nahuel took longer, his experience in a car was almost nonexistent, and what little he had mostly took place in taxis, when he came to visit, and that consisted of him riding in the back seat. So it took him a bit longer. But he was still a half-Vampire so _longer_ amounted to about an extra twenty minutes.

The most time, well maybe not really the most, but the most boring amount of time, was spent when Nessie and Nahuel read through the car's owner's manual and a DMV driver's manual. Edward had picked it up at some point between yesterday and today. When they were through reading I tested them, but with their half-Vampire brains they'd memorized both manuals, word for word.

When we were done and the car was returned to the garage, in one piece, Bella let Nahuel know that she would contact Mr. Jenks and get him a driver's license. Seeing as Nessie already had one she was all set and took full advantage, insisting we go for a drive, right then and there.

* * *

"So do you know where you're going on your date tonight?"

Nessie was trying to put her hair in a ponytail, at least I think she was. She had redone it three times already. I don't know what the problem was. Her hair looked perfect. Everything about her looked perfect. She was so gorgeous.

Why couldn't I have realized that a couple of months ago? Well that's not exactly it. She was beautiful as a baby, and toddler, and child, and all through her teen years. I knew that. She never went through an awkward phase or even got a pimple. One on the perks of being a half-Vampire I guess.

But my changing feelings for her, rather my changing _thinking_ towards her, from child, to teen, to woman had happened so slowly… well not really slowly, when I consider how quickly she grew, it crept up on me so gradually that I missed it, or misjudged it. I misjudged myself. My feelings in her… towards her changed, and I missed it.

I loved her. I always had, but now it was in a completely different way, than when she was younger. My brain, my stupid, slow brain, that up until now had been holding me back from moving forward with her, had finally come around to realize that not only did I love her , but that I was in love with her. I don't know when, or for how long. I hadn't been paying attention. I was too caught up in keeping her safe, that I didn't notice that she wasn't a kid anymore. But I was too late. Nahuel had gotten to her first. Damn-it!

But Nessie was happy, and that's all that really mattered. At least she seemed happy to be going out on her first date tonight with Nahuel. Well happy and nervous. I got the feeling it was an excited nervous though, not one brought about by fear. I just wished it was me going with her tonight. Not that I wouldn't be there too. I planned to follow in my Wolf form; keeping her safe, looking out for her. Always.

"Yes, he asked me what I wanted to do tonight and since the holiday is next month I suggested that we could go look at Christmas Trees at one of the local tree farms that opened last week. They let you cut them down yourself, and at night there probably won't be that many people around. It should give us a chance to talk and walk around outside somewhere other than the woods outside the house."

"But you hate Christmas." Why would she pick that? At her request we hadn't even celebrated it last year. I didn't want to complain too much, the outdoor location was perfect for me, I could watch over her in the cover of the trees, hopefully staying undetected in the process.

"Here, let me do that," I said as I grabbed the brush from her and began gathering her massive waves into an elegant up do. I had gotten pretty good at managing Nessie's wild curls over the years. I enjoyed brushing her hair for her when she was little, and Rose had taught me a few styles, that worked well with Nessie's curls, over the years. Who knew I would have more in common than just cars with Blondie.

"Thanks," she said handing me the hair elastic. "It's not so much that I hate Christmas, just the memories associated with it. I want to work on that, and I figured now was as good a time as any to start."

"Are you sure it's a good idea honey?" I asked as I grabbed some bobby pins.

"What's the worst that could happen? I have some negative reaction to _trees_ and we come home early? It's not like they'll be lit up and decorated, with people singing carols in the background. Anyway it's more the time of year that I have the biggest problem with, not the holiday itself. And you'll still be with me tonight, keeping my nightmares at bay, anyway." She suddenly looked scared. "You will still sleep with me, won't you?" Did she think I would abandon her now that she was dating Nahuel? Though it did seem a bit strange, dating one man and sleeping with another, however platonic it still was with us.

"Of course honey, you know I'll always be with you, whenever, and however, you need me." At least until she no longer needed me anymore. I'm sure someday, hopefully far, far in the future, _He_ will be in a position to help keep them away just as easily as I do now. But I didn't want to think about that right now. "So do you actually plan on cutting down a tree?" I asked, changing the subject back.

"No, probably not. I just thought it would be an interesting backdrop for us. It's way too early anyway. Who gets a tree in November?" she replied, finally seeming satisfied with what I did with her hair, grabbing a jacket and heading out of our bedroom door. "Nahuel should be here soon, so I guess I'll see you tonight," she said as she wrapped me in a goodbye hug in the living room.

Of course as we walked towards the front door we saw that Nahuel was already here and in a whispered conversation, too low for Nessie and I to have heard from the soundproofed bedroom, with Edward and Bella.

"Renesmee, we would like to have a word with you before you leave with Nahuel tonight," Edward called to her. But as he looked at me it seemed like he rethought something. "Um, Renesmee you remember what we talked about before?"

"Yes of course, dad."

"Alright then, you two go and have fun tonight and we will see you when you get back," Edward said, as Bella gave her a goodbye hug.

Huh? That was it? I was expecting more of a fatherly talk from him. You know, the kind where he warns her of all the things she is not allowed to do - he'll be watching, she'll be grounded for life, all the usual stuff... Where was the overprotective Eddie from back when I was trying to win Bella? He wasn't my favorite guy back then, but I sure would have appreciated him showing up now.

I know my face must have been showing the confusion and irritation I was feeling at that moment, and even if it hadn't, he could still hear what I was thinking.

They were gone now, off on their _DATE_ and Edward just broke out in a chuckle.

"What the hell was that?" I questioned him.

"So anyone feel like a game of chess?" Edward asked neither of us in particular, as he walked over to the table that currently held the board and started setting up the pieces.

Was he really just ignoring my question, my concerns? Why was he not worried? I know Nahuel had changed his diet but he was still a man, with needs and desires. And we all knew what he wanted to do with Nessie. And Edward had just sent out his only daughter, his very _sheltered_ only daughter, on a date with him.

I started shaking and growling right in the living room.

"Calm down Jacob. I heard what you were thinking before and know you plan on following them. Bella and I are sure that Nessie will be perfectly _safe_ with you looking after her. But you should probably get going soon if you don't want them getting too far ahead of you. Nahuel's driving Emmett's Jeep and the hood is up so you won't be able to follow their scent. They're headed to the tree farm twelve miles east of here."

So that was it. That's why neither of them looked worried. I was kicking myself now for ever even agreeing to teach Nahuel how to drive, though.

It turned out I had nothing to be worried about. Their first date turned out to be nothing more than the two of them walking around and talking, just like Nessie had said. He didn't even try to go for an end of the night kiss. I wonder if it had anything to do with what he, Edward, and Bella talked about while Nessie was getting ready? Edward must have threatened him enough that now he wasn't even going to try anything. But then why would he also want me following them? I guess Edward _was_ being as overprotective as ever. Good!

Over the next few weeks Nessie and Nahuel continued to go on more _dates_ just about every other night. I followed them each time, luckily for me every one of them took place outside. I figured that some would eventually be in a movie theater or dinner at a restaurant but that never happened. There were lots of walks, some long runs in the woods, occasionally a picnic, but that was it. It was never a problem for me staying in Wolf form to oversee everything.

I felt a bit guilty spying on her, but it was for Nessie's own protection. I thought about telling her what I was doing, but was concerned about what I would do if she told me not to go anymore. It was too much of a risk. Her safety was more important than her privacy.

Currently I was hiding in a bush, not one hundred feet from them, watching another one of their picnics. At least tonight they were staying in one place. I was tired and was in no mood to be following them all over New England. It was getting windy and I had a feeling that they might need to end things a bit early tonight. It was going to rain soon.

Suddenly Nahuel's head shot up and he looked in my direction, I didn't think he could see me from where I was hiding, but he must have heard something. A split second later something was hurled through the air and lodged in my shoulder, which caused me to let out an involuntary yelp. When I looked down I saw that the offending object was a fork, sticking halfway out of me, prongs out. I couldn't get it out as a Wolf. I would need hands to do that.

Great!

Nahuel was growling now, ready to spring on whatever he thought was out here – me.

"Nahuel, it is okay, it's just Jacob," I heard Nessie tell him.

What? She knew I was out here? Had she known all along? It would explain why all their dates were outside. But it was exceptionally windy tonight, she could have just as easily gotten a whiff of my scent. But if she had so would have Nahuel. That must have been what alerted him to my presence. But then he should have known it was me from my scent, and yet he still through the fork.

I guess it was time to phase back to my human form. I was pulling the fork from my shoulder when Nessie appeared before me.

I thought she was going to be angry, but all I felt was concern coming through our Imprint bond. "Jacob, are you hurt very badly?" She actually looked worried.

"I'll be fine, honey." Even as I spoke the wound was already closing.

"What is your Wolf doing here?" Nahuel asked coming up behind her. He, on the other hand, was having the reaction I was expecting. Not that I cared too much about what he thought, but if him being upset was going to make Nessie upset, I would need to smooth things over between the two of us.

What could I say though. Y_ou know I don't trust you not to suck the life out of the girl I love, so I've been stalking you during your dates. _I don't think the truth would go over very well.

"Nahuel, you know Jacob is my protector, of course he's here. He's always with me. You know that. Did you really expect him to be sitting at home waiting for us to return?" she answered for me.

"Yes, I'm well aware of his duties, but I was expecting you to call him off during our _private_ time together. Can't you give him the night off or something?"

"I'll go wherever I want!" I growled back at him. So much for smoothing things over.

"Nahuel, that's not how it works. Jacob's here to protect me," Nessie added. At least she was doing a better job than I was.

"I see. And he feels like he needs to protect you from me." Nahuel was seething.

It had started sprinkling now, but no one seemed to be paying attention to the weather.

"No, I'm sure that's not it. He trusts you, I know he does, I even heard him tell Aunt Rose how much you have changed and there was no need to worry. But there are other dangers out here, and Jacob would never take my safety for granted."

Humph. That was partially true. I wasn't worried, as much, anymore that Nahuel might feed from her in the heat of the moment, not that they would ever get to that, at the glacial rate they were going, not that I was complaining, but still, no matter how much he had changed I doubt he was now a saint.

"In that case, may I suggest a compromise," he sneered at me. What was he up to? "I believe that I'm more than capable of protecting Renesmee as well as you. Jacob, you should of course continue to watch over her while she is attending school and during her hunting trips. But I would request that you let me oversee her care during our dates. I'm sure the two of us would be more than capable of handling anything we would come across out here. And I believe Renesmee carries a phone that she can call you if we happen to run into an army of rogue Vampires out roaming around the New Hampshire wilderness." Was that his attempt at humor?

Nessie looked at me, more pleading than anything else. "Jacob," she began grabbing my hand and turning me away from Nahuel_. I know what I told Nahuel wasn't entirely true, but I want to try to see if I can make this work with him. You can't hide in the bushes anymore and I think he'd probably object to you tagging along right now, in any capacity. What if I showed you a replay of my dates with Nahuel each night when I returned home? _"Please," she added out loud for Nahuel's benefit, probably to hid the fact that she made her offer behind his back, so to speak.

"Fine," I relented, I could see she really wanted this, and I could never say no to her. But then I turned back to face Nahuel, "but if I see anything damaged on her, I'll do the same to you. Splinter, skinned knee, broken arm, or worse, you get the same... understand?"

Nahuel actually had the audacity to roll his eyes, but agreed. I guess he believed he could keep Nessie safe. I hoped he was right.

* * *

Renesmee's Point of View

* * *

"So, Nahuel is coming with us to class tomorrow?" Jake asked me after watching the replay of my latest date with him.

Really? That was all he had to say? I guess my dates would be a little boring for him to watch. All Nahuel and I ever did was talk on our walks and dinner dates. He'd never given Jake one moment for concern.

At least now I understood why Jacob had been so concerned in the first place. Soon after Jake stopped _accompanying_ us on our dates, Nahuel told me about certain aspects of his past. But he had assured me (and Jacob, and my parents) that he had overcome his desire for other woman – both their blood and their um... bodies. And so far it seemed to be true. He had completely switched to eating human food, and barely left the house; when he did, it was with me or another member of the family, so I know he wasn't sneaking off to feed, and my father would definitely see it in his mind if he did.

When I had showed Jake what we talked about, that night, he seemed surprised. Not the information about Nahuel's past, much to my chagrin, Jake had already known about it. For some reason he had assumed Nahuel was going to hide his past from me. But how can you build a life with someone if you hid things from them? I hadn't even had to ask Nahuel anything, he was the one who wanted to _confess_, as he put it, his past mistakes. It was hard for me to hear, but not totally unexpected. I knew what his diet was before, and he had already revealed to me, in the woods last year, that he had prior experience being with other woman. Of course I was upset regarding the nature of the relationships, or the lack of them, while he was with these women. And when I did the math in my head, I felt sick. One woman, every week or two, for over one hundred fifty years. That was a lot! But he assured me that that way of life was over for him.

It took me almost a good month to not be repulsed just by looking at Nahuel. We took a small break while I thought about things, Jake seemed happy about that. But eventually I realized that Nahuel wasn't that same person as he was back then, he wasn't even the same person as the one I had met last year. This was a completely different Nahuel. One who hadn't wanted, or needed blood, or woman, to survive. Now all he wanted was me.

But I was also happy we were moving slow. I hadn't kissed Nahuel yet, not even once. We had been dating, well my version of dating, now for just over two months. It was what my father had called "courting". He had suggested it when I talked to him about not being sure how to decide between Jake and Nahuel. He said it was like dating, but more conservative - just getting to know someone before things got too serious. I thought it was the perfect idea, for now.

Nahuel didn't seem too enthralled but agreed, well relented, anyway. Especially when my father and mother had made it perfectly clear that it was this or nothing, for the time being at least. That part, the changing the dynamics of our relationship part, if and when it happened, my father assured me, would be my decision. But I needed to be one hundred percent certain first, before taking things further. My father caved on the whole marriage idea. He could see in my mind how certain and unmoving I was on the subject. There was no use in arguing about it.

It was, Sunday, January 3rd, 2011. Jake and I were headed back to school tomorrow, after the winter break, and Nahuel wanted to tag along.

** "**You don't mind do you? He is just curious about it. You saw how I was talking about my whole college experience with him, and I think he would like to see for himself."

"Sure, he can come with us, I guess. I'm not too sure how interesting it is going to be for him though," Jake replied before I went into the bathroom to change into my usual tank and pant pajamas, pink and grey tonight, as he stripped down to his tee shirt and _Alice_ shorts.

"The plants he's growing at the Doc and Esme's house are nice," Jake mentioned when I walked back into the room and hopped into bed with him.

"Yeah, they're really pretty. He had his Aunt send the seeds up in the mail. Uncle Emmett and Uncle Jasper were able to help him turn the corner dining room over there, it gets the most sun, into a makeshift greenhouse. All they had to do was replace the walls with large windows and install a door in the archway. Grandma and Grandpa said they were fine with him cranking up the heat too; he prefers it that way anyway. They also said they'd install a sprinkler system, but he likes going in there to water the plants, gives him something to do while I'm at school. The plants seem to be flourishing in it, and he thinks they'll start flowering soon. Then it'll really start reminding him of home… at least that's what he said."

"Really? Is he missing home that much?" Jake sounded a little too hopeful. I know this was hard for him, but he was the one who brought it up.

"No," I sighed. "He wanted to give me a bouquet of flowers, native to where he's from. And this is what he came up with when he couldn't find any at the local flower shops. I thought it was nice of him to go through all of that effort, just to give me some flowers."

"Oh, yeah, I guess that's kinda thoughtful," Jacob grumbled as he fell asleep.

The next day Jake drove Nahuel and me to school in his Volvo. Jake and I only had the one class today so Nahuel planned on staying the entire time. I wasn't sure how interesting he would find our Intro to Engineering class, but he insisted that it wasn't the subject, but the experience he was interested in. Maybe if things worked out between us, he might want to enroll in some classes himself next year.

The class wasn't full last semester, and people would stop by to audit it now and then so Nahuel's presence there shouldn't be too much of a problem, he also had promised to sit in the back to observe.

Nahuel had been off human blood now for awhile so I didn't see any need to be concerned. But as we got closer to the room where the class was being held he seemed apprehensive. Not wanting any of the humans to hear, I used my gift to ask him if he needed to leave, but he assured me he was fine, yet he still didn't seem comfortable. Whatever was wrong he wasn't telling me. Jake had already entered the classroom, but Nahuel hadn't moved, so I grabbed tighter onto his hand and dragged him in. As I passed through the doorway I saw that Andy and Rob were already there.

"Hey Jake, who's that? Friend of yours?" I heard Rob questioned him, looking directly at Nahuel.

Jake slumped down in an empty seat next to Andy, and farthest away from Rob; he was still pretty upset at him, even though I had told him time after time that I didn't care, but to little effect. At least they were talking to each other again, sort of. Since we were all majoring in the same thing they did see each other a lot. It was hard to pretend the other didn't exist.

"That's Nahuel," Jake scowled, "Nessie's _boyfriend_."

Oh no! I should have thought and brought Nahuel to French or some other elective Rob was unlikely to take.

"Her boyfriend? But dude? What happened? I thought you and her were... you know, hooking up and stuff?" While Rob looked shocked he was at least talking quietly. Most humans in the room wouldn't have heard him. But Nahuel… A quick glance over to his face didn't reveal any anger, hurt, shock or surprise on it. I don't think he was listening. He seemed to be in a daze, or was concentrating very hard on some interesting tree outside the window. I was starting to worry if he was going to be okay here.

But I would have to worry about that later. Right now I was concerned about Jacob.

"Yeah, well you went blabbing about things that were none of your business," Jake sneered.

"Hey, come on, don't be like that, can't you drop this whole thing and forget about it? It's old news anyway. No one even cares. Friends?" Rob actually held out his hand waiting for Jake to shake it. This should be interesting.

"Friends? Seriously? I don't think so."

"Jakey, come on," Andy pleaded, grabbing his hand, "Rob just doesn't think sometimes. He says dumb things all the time. Stupidity isn't a good reason to end a friendship. It's not like he killed someone," she joked. "Pleeeesssse, I can't have my two best guys being mad at each other," she said wrapping them both up into a hug.

Jacob looked over to me. Was he asking ME what he should do? I knew it was good for him to have friends, and he really seemed to enjoy spending time with both of them, from the stories he told me last year. He knows that Rob didn't bother me, in truth Andy's behavior was more upsetting than Rob's. But I knew Jake didn't notice her attempts to flirt with him. So I guess it didn't matter. I nodded slightly over to him, too small for them to see, but he would clearly be able to pick up my approval, not that he really needed it. But I knew he didn't want to upset me, even in something as insignificant as this.

"Fine, friends," Jake acquiesced, shaking Rob's hand, probably a bit too hard, judging by the grimace on his face as Jake released his hand. "But if you ever say anything about Nessie, good or bad, to anyone, every again, you will be sorry," he threw in as a warning.


	17. A Dream and a Wedding

**The Worm Moon**

* * *

**Year Five, Chapter Seventeen**

**A Dream and a Wedding**

* * *

Jacob's Point of View

* * *

A… D… E… A… D… E… D… D…

No! Damn it! I was never going to get this song right.

Even though I wasn't in High School anymore, and I didn't have to continue learning the guitar for that stupid music class, I actually found that I liked playing… even if I still wasn't very good. But it was much more fun when I got to choose the song. There was one that I was trying to learn, I bought the sheet music for it and everything. Nessie had tried to teach me it months ago but it hadn't gone very well back then, and got even worse when Nahuel showed up.

Argh! That jerk ruined everything.

Nessie was currently on another date with him and, while fixing the wreck that Rosalie got me took up a lot of time, I needed something else to do while I waited for my angel to return. After I popped my second tire and crumpled a few steering wheels Rose pretty much banished me from the garage while Nessie and Nahuel were out together. I was fine when she was in the house or next to me in the garage, but when Nessie and Nahuel went off alone together my imagination took off and I ended up damaging more than one irreplaceable car part that we already had had custom made.

That's when I dug out the guitar at Jaspers suggestion. I wasn't as good playing as I was fixing cars, in fact I was pretty bad, and so I had to concentrate more. A lot more. His idea was working, sorta. At least I hadn't broken the guitar… yet.

A… D… E… A… D… E… D… C#m …B…

ARGH! I was going to end up breaking this thing if I wasn't careful. Things were easier to deal with as a Wolf. A few seconds later the guitar was still in one piece and resting on a porch chair, with my clothes crumpled below it, as I took off.

I didn't want to run too long or go too far and not be there when Nessie got home so I stuck to running circles around the Cullens three houses. They were far enough out of the way that I shouldn't be seen by any humans. I didn't smell any in the area anyway.

Two hours and one hundred forty-seven laps later I was much calmer and phased back to my human form. I think I was ready to try the song again. Picking up the guitar I began.

A… D… E… A… D… E… D… C#m …Bm…

E… E… E… E…

A… D… A… E… A… D… A… E…

A… A6… E… D… E…

A… D… E… A… D… E… D… C#m …Bm…

I did it! I had finally gotten through the part I had been struggling with all week. Satisfied with my success I went back to the beginning and hummed along as I played the whole thing again and again.

"Jacob, wow, that what beautiful," Nessie said, appearing before me, with Nahuel.

I hadn't thought they would be back so soon. Then I realized that the sun had gone down… a while ago. It was pitch black outside. I must have been playing longer than I thought. It looked to be around midnight.

Nahuel looked pissed for some reason. I assumed he must have been upset at having another _uneventful_ date where they just talked and talked, until I saw that he was looking at Nessie, who had locked her eyes on me. Huh? Oh! I had neglected to put my clothes back on after my run and was just sitting there in nothing but my shorts.

While the rest of my clothes were under me, still crumpled on the chair, I made no move to redress. Seeing how… _amused_ Nessie was, while pissing Nahuel off at the same time, was fine with me.

"Glad you like it," I smiled back at her. I thought about throwing in a wink, but didn't want to push things.

What was going on with Nessie though? She'd seen me like this hundreds of times after hunting. Me, shirtless was nothing new for her. What had gotten into her tonight? Not that I was complaining.

"So the dates over?" I asked, wanting to get her away from him as quickly as possible.

"Um, yeah," she answered me. "Thank you for taking me out, Nahuel. I'm kind of tired. I think I'll go to bed, see you tomorrow." We normally went to bed together, at her insistence, but she just left both of us standing there.

Damn-it. I had overstepped.

Not wanting to seem weak, or let Nahuel think he was welcome in our house I stayed on the porch but moved just enough to block the door, until he sulked back to the Doc and Esme's house. Then and only then did I head back into the house where I found Nessie already asleep in our bed. I guess she really was tired.

Running as a Wolf wasn't the cleanest of activities. So instead of snuggling myself next to her like I wanted, I dashed into the shower first.

I was caked in my mud than I realized, but twenty minutes later I finally tucked myself in bed, beside my angel. She looked so beautiful, sleeping there with a huge smile on her face. I knew I shouldn't, it was an invasion of her privacy, but I just couldn't help myself. I wanted to know what made her so happy so I picked up her hand and placed it on my cheek...

"Oh!"

In one motion I dropped her hand and tried as gently as I could to climb back out of the bed without waking her but I wasn't even halfway to the door when I heard her. Damn! I woke her up.

"Jacob, where are you going? Is something wrong?"

Yes something was wrong. I was wrong. I had broken her trust and invaded her privacy.

"Nessie, I'm sorry. I peeked into your dream and saw. I should go. You obviously don't want me in your bed with you right now. Do you want me to go get... him?" I didn't really want too, but if it was what she wanted, and by the looks of her dream I would guess it was…

"What are you talking about Jacob? You always sleep next to me?" She looked confused.

Was she really going to make me say it? Yeah, I guess I deserved a little humiliation. Okay here goes... "Yeah, but in your dream you were not with me. You were with him... Nahuel, you know, being... intimate... with him," I managed to choke out the offensive words, as they conjured up her dream in my mind and I tried not to gag on the images I saw.

She sighed. "I'm sorry my Jacob, I can't control my dreams. It seems my subconscious is working though a lot. But if I wanted to be having sex with Nahuel right now I would be, yet I'm here with you. A lot of things happened recently, and there are a lot of things I need to think about, and I'm sure some of those thing are going to work into my subconscious while I'm asleep. But I promise you nothing will change between the two of us."

Great, that's not exactly what I wanted to hear. I loved her, Imprinted on her, and will be anything for her, even if that meant only being her friend and protector for all of eternity, but I had hoped for more.

"Besides," she added coyly with a smirk plastered on her face, "you seemed to have missed the beginning of the dream."

Huh? What did that mean? I just stood there, probably looking dumbfounded until she got up and pulled me back to bed, snuggling herself into my side as she went back to sleep.

* * *

Over the following weeks I had hoped something would have resulted from her chest ogling, but nothing did. I even tried recreating it several times, letting her _accidentally_ catch me without a shirt on again, but to no avail. She was dating Nahuel and it looked like things were staying that way.

* * *

Renesmee's Point of View

* * *

Jake and I were sitting in the church, on the Makah Reservation for Colleen and Henry's wedding. Nahuel was perturbed that I would not be with him for our first Valentine's Day, but there was nothing I could do. The invitation was just for Jacob and me. It was a small wedding and no additional guests were allowed, but I had assured him, before I left, that I would more than make up for it when I returned. His mood had elevated dramatically, but Jake growled and broke the cup he had been holding.

What was wrong now?

Okay, if I was being honest with myself I knew what was wrong; I just didn't know how to fix it. I wish I could make this easier for Jake in some way. After this was over I promised myself I would sit down with him and discuss things. I didn't want him suffering. But for now I had a wedding to get through. Another long… boring… pointless wedding.

This time I decided it might be better if I dressed myself, instead of letting Aunt Alice take over like she had when I went to Sam and Emily's wedding when I was younger. I checked with Jacob beforehand for what he thought would be appropriate, but brought a few different accessories, to dress my choice up or down, just in case. In the end I wore a simple, yet elegant lavender dress; it had a knee length flared skirt with a halter top. I was glad I choose it because when we arrived at the ceremony it seemed to fit in perfectly with everyone else's wardrobe. I went easy on the jewelry and paired everything with some strappy sandals. My outfit fit in perfectly. No fashion blunders this time. Alice would be so proud. Not that I really cared, but it would make her happy.

Jacob, of course looked amazing in his charcoal grey suit, accented with a slightly deeper shade of purple for his tie, to match my dress. He was braver than me and actually agreed to let Aunt Alice dress him. I don't think, at the time though, that he realized what a production it would be. She actually custom made the suit for him. While it didn't take her that long to sew it, he didn't particularly like having to stand so still while she took his measurements. Not that that took long either, he just didn't like it. Jake could be such a baby sometimes, I chuckled to myself, thinking back to it.

"What's so funny, honey?" Jacob looked at me with a smile.

I hadn't seen him so relaxed in a while. It was nice. I hadn't realized how much I missed it being just the two of us.

"Oh, was I laughing out loud? Sorry. I was just thinking about when Aunt Alice was measuring you for that suit."

"Oh yeah, that was hilarious," he said, rolling his eyes.

Jacob seemed so happy to see his and Sam's Packs again. All the Imprints were here with their Wolves, even Claire. But I didn't see any of the un-Imprinted Wolves, except for Leah. They were probably back at La Push protecting the Reservation. All except Embry; he was probably with Colleen.

Jacob and I had been chatting with everyone for awhile when I suddenly realized the time.

"So, when is the wedding supposed to start?" We had been sitting in the church pews for almost an hour now. I know we arrived a little early, but I thought the invitation said noon, and it was 12:43 now.

"I think most weddings begin whenever the bride is ready, honey. These things normally tend to start a little late, I wouldn't worry. This is perfectly normal. My sister, Rebecca, was over an hour and a half late for her wedding. Apparently her hair took longer than expected to style."

_I guess things take more time when you don't have Vampire speed, _I thought to Jacob while holding his hand.

"Definitely," he agreed, chuckling some more.

Almost eight minutes later I and every Wolf in the church heard it. Yelling! Screaming really. Coming from the back. It was coming from a room in a separate alcove where Colleen was supposedly getting ready. Even though I had never heard him before I knew who the voice must have belonged to. Henry! He was furious. What could have happened? It was his wedding day. He should have been happier than anyone on the planet right now. I guess. Or at least that's what everyone kept telling me about weddings, and marriage, and everything. So why was he screaming? I started to listen closer, paying attention to the words not just the sound.

Oh! Crap!

Most likely the humans in the church were unable to hear what was being said and by the looks of things they couldn't even hear the yelling. They looked impatient, not worried, confused, or panicked. I guess that was good.

"Jacob, should we go back there? Should we do something?" I whispered to him.

"Why don't you stay here? It might be better if I go alone."

"No Jacob I'm coming with you, Colleen's going to need a girl to talk to."

As we got up the other Wolves gave Jake a look but he returned his own, signaling for them to stay put, for now anyway.

When we got to Colleen's door Jake knocked and then yelled loudly so everyone inside could hear "Hey guys, how's everything going back there?"

"We're fine Jake, go away," Embry yelled back.

Henry obviously disagreed. "Like hell everything's fine! How could you?"

"We're coming in," Jake announced right before he opened the door.

When I looked around the room I saw Colleen crying in a chair, she was still in her bathrobe, and had never even made it into her dress. Embry was crouching over her protectively. Henry was on the far side of the room and looked like he had bruised his hands. I wonder if he had tried hitting Embry. Colleen looked unharmed so he obviously didn't try to hit her; at least he wasn't successful if he did. Even though he was just standing there Henry still looked like he wanted to kill Embry. I guess that was understandable; not many people would be too happy if their fiancée slept with someone else the night before their wedding.

"Embry can I see you in the hallway for a minute," Jake said more as an order than a request.

"No, I'm not leaving her. Look at him," he gestured to Henry, "he's too upset right now. I don't trust what he'll do."

"I'll stay with her," I volunteered, quietly sweeping across the room, over to Colleen. Embry knew that I would be able to take care of her, not only emotionally but also be able to protect her, if needed, from Henry. Once Jake and Embry were outside I turned to Colleen. "Do you want to talk about what happened?"

"I don't know really," Colleen started bawling, "it's just... with the wedding, and moving next week -" she said between sobs, "I don't know. Just the thought of never seeing Embry again... I don't know what happened."

"You were leaving? Moving away without Embry? You know that would never work right?" I wanted to mention the Imprint but Henry was in the room and I couldn't.

"Henry got a new job," Colleen replied.

"Yeah, well what else was I supposed to do? The two of them are just too close. I thought a little distance would help, so when this job transfer was offered to me at work I jumped at it. We're moving to Texas next week. Well we were. Now I guess I'll be moving alone," Henry seethed. "But before I go, just tell me one thing. How long? How long has it been going on between the two of you?"

"It was just the one time," Colleen hiccupped, barely loud enough for him to hear. "I never meant to hurt you."

"Yeah, right. I see the way you two look at each other. I'm outta here." Then he turned and left, slamming the door behind him with such anger and force it bounced back open. As he left he didn't even stop or slow down as he passed Jake and Embry further down the hall.

"Are you okay?" I questioned her once he was out of sight.

"I just feel so foolish. I guess there really was no point trying to fight the Imprint. Honestly I'm not sure how it even happened though. I was beginning to think Embry was a eunuch or something," she whispered to me. I guess she didn't realize Embry could hear her, even being all the way down the hallway. Jacob swiftly ran over and closed the door. They would still hear everything we were saying, but it gave Colleen the illusion of privacy.

"Hmmm," I huffed, "well, in a way he _was_ kind of... impotent. You know he only wants what you want. So since you had no desire for him sexually before, neither had he for you. It must have taken a lot mentally, or at least emotionally, on your part to have made something happen last night. He can only give you what you want and need. So you must have wanted last night to happen, at least subconsciously, more than you realized. More that you're admitting now, and probably for a lot longer than just last night," I told her, while at the same time revealing to Jacob just exactly how much I knew.

"You shouldn't feel so bad. Its better Henry found out now before you married him," I continued after a moment to let her take things in. "It would have been too late then. Not that it would have made much difference; Embry will always be with you. If you'd gotten married and moved to Texas he would have followed you. Now at least you have a chance to move forward, with Embry, and see what happens. I know you'll be very happy with him. All of the other Wolves and their Imprints are."

"No, last night was a mistake. A huge one," she said, seemingly changing her mind out of nowhere. She was looking at the door, as if she could see Embry on the other side. More tears were streaming down her face. "It was just wedding jitters. I don't think of you that way, Embry. I love Henry. How could I have let this happen? What is wrong with me? I need to go find him and apologize," she blabbered.

But I thought she wanted to be with Embry? After she saw how Henry reacted didn't she understand that he would never accept the three of them as a... couple?

Of course Jake and Embry chose that moment to walk back into the room. How devastated could one other person look? Actually they both wore equal masks of horror and sadness.

Colleen ran over and started crying into Embry's shirt. "I'm sorry... I just... can't."

"Come on Nessie, let's give them some space," Jacob sighed as he held out his hand for me. We quietly exited the room, and walked to the other end of the hallway as they sobbed in each other's arms.

"What should we do now Jake?" How were we going to fix this?

"I don't know honey. There might not be anything we can do. It's really up to Embry and Colleen. And Henry I suppose." He sighed. "Their relationship just seemed doomed from the start."

"Yeah, it is beginning to seem that way." Who knows maybe they can turn things around, eventually. "We're okay though, right?" I wondered out loud.

He huffed before speaking and looked down at his feet. Not a good sign. "I don't know Nessie. It seems that you think I'm a _eunuch_?" He was smirking as he looked back up at me with a twinkle in his eye.

"Of course you heard that. Then you know I wasn't the one who said it right? And besides I know that you're not. Don't forget I have seen you naked," I joked back.

Jake just stood there looking dumbfounded with his mouth hanging open. I tapped my forehead, "Perfect memory and recall remember, Vampire brain." A second later I could tell he remembered what I was talking about - his flaming shorts fiasco.

"So Edward didn't cover your eyes as quickly as I thought he did?" He smiled back, the imprint alerting him that that was what I wanted, but it didn't reach his eyes. I knew it wasn't how he felt; he was just trying to make me happy.

"I guess my _eyes_ aren't as innocent as you thought they were. You're not embarrassed are you? Because I don't think you have anything to be embarrassed about," I smirked. I was trying to get him to laugh. I thought it was funny and really wanted him to see the humor in the situation.

"Nessie... I... um, I'm sorry, you were still a child. You shouldn't have been subjected to something like that. I thought Edward was quicker and had protected you while I was... unable to."

"Don't be silly. I'm fine, really. I saw much more in Grandpa's medical books. You're not that upset are you?"

"No, not exactly, just more shocked at the moment," he replied coming out of his daze, a real smile finally appearing on his face, but only for a moment. "So I guess you also heard more than you let on that day in the garage with Rose and Emmett back in October?"

I was about to apologize, not wanting to embarrass him more when Colleen's parents and two bridesmaids effectively ended our conversation as they rushed down the hallway towards Colleens dressing room from... somewhere. (Where _had_ they been during all of this?)

They told us that Henry had gone to the church and _informed_ everyone that the wedding was off, before leaving, straight for Texas. I could only imagine everyone's reactions. The Wolves and Imprints joined us shortly afterwards, but we stayed gathered in the hallway.

After listening in on a long discussion between Embry, Colleen, and her parents we heard Colleen come to a decision that she would go to Texas so she could _try_ to patch things up with Henry. Embry insisted on accompanying Colleen. I wasn't sure it was going to work but she sounded determined to try.

Embry was equally as determined. He was going to try to stay out of sight as much as possible, thinking that he would be able to stay in his Wolf form most of the time. Jake mentioned to me that things would be easier for him to deal with, _emotionally_, that way.

I wasn't sure where Colleen was planning on living in Texas but a city or heavily populated area would be very inconvenient for Embry. A nice rural location would be best if he was hoping to stay concealed as a Wolf.

Eventually everyone joined Embry and the others in the little dressing room. We were all squished in, but once Colleen made her decision everyone jumped onboard and were determined to help. They planned on leaving late tomorrow afternoon, on the earliest available flight. I had called my parents and they were good enough to arrange for the tickets.

When everything was settled Jacob and I headed back to Embry's mother's house in La Push, he had refused to leave Colleen while she was so upset, so it was left up to us to explain everything to her and pack some things for him. He was going to be living mostly as a Wolf, so he wouldn't need much; but just to be on the safe side we threw all of his clothes (what little there were) in a single suitcase. Once he got down there, things would get tricky. He had no place to live, no job, and no money. But he refused to leave Colleen. She didn't have much either, though she had lined up a job. I think she assumed, well more likely _hoped,_ that Henry would take her back and they would move into the apartment they had already found together. Embry would probably have to find a job eventually as well. But then again how much money does a wolf really need? I guess it all really depended on where he was going to be living – a City or Rural area - an apartment or the forest, grocery shopping or hunting, clothes or fur.

Embry promised Jake that he would check in at least once a month and would take the laptop Jake got him, so he could continue to Skype. Of course that meant he would occasionally need somewhere to plug it in, but Embry assured him that he would figure it out.

Since we were in La Push Jake and I stopped in to visit Billy before leaving. We would have done so anyway but now we were actually able to spend a little more time with him, which I know Jake appreciated. Before leaving on our flight back to New Hampshire we also ordered Quil a replacement laptop, since we gave Embry the one they had shared.

* * *

My parents met us at the airport and greeted me with hugs and kisses. We were only gone for four days, but they were acting like it had been a month. They knew about everything that had happened with the wedding and I guess assumed I would be upset. But I don't think I was as affected as they seemed to think I would be. Maybe whatever they were thinking just hadn't hit me yet. I don't know.

The flight from Washington to New Hampshire was always long, and as usual I was as deadly tired from the trip. Nonetheless when we finally arrived back home I still planned on making a special dinner for Nahuel, it was part of my promise - to make up for missing Valentine's Day, not that I had told Nahuel any specifics, it was a surprise. Hopefully a good one

When Jake and I got home and walked through the front door I saw that Nahuel had the same idea. I guess he had spoken to my parents about his plan, because they had retired to their bedroom as soon as we entered the house.

I heard Jake mumble under his breath about how it would have been nice for them to have given him a warning, before we walked in. I agreed, but then again, any mention of this, to either of us, would have ruined the surprise.

Nahuel had placed candles, and the flowers he had been growing, on every available surface in the living room and dining room. And the dining room table had been set for two. If I were to guess this looked like Alice's doing. She probably had helped him. Everything here seemed like her type of overboard.

Jacob grumbled something else; I couldn't make out, under his breath, before giving me a hug and heading off towards... somewhere.

"But... aren't you hungry?" I called after him. We'd been traveling all day and he had only eaten a hurried breakfast at Billy's and then the pathetic airplane food for lunch. I know Nahuel had planned a romantic dinner for just the two of us, but I didn't want my Jacob to go hungry.

Just before the back door closed I heard him snort, "I'm going to go for a run, I'll eat something out there."

I felt so bad. This was hard for him, but he saw how well Nahuel was treating me and how nicely we were getting along. I know he was worried about me being with Nahuel, but I think he would be worried with anyone that wasn't him. It was just the protector in him. I wished, futilely, once again, that there was some way to make this easier for him.

* * *

Thanks for reading. Please review.


	18. Talks with Bella and Jacob

**The Worm Moon**

* * *

**Year Five, Chapter Eighteen**

**Talks with Bella and Jacob**

* * *

Jacob's Point of View

* * *

My phone somehow had fallen out of my pocket this morning, while Nessie and I were hunting, and I smashed it with my paw. (Maybe Alice could add a zipper to my shorts so this won't happen again.) Neither Bella, nor Edward, felt comfortable leaving without being able to reach me, so I had to go get a new phone _immediately_ and I'd just returned from buying a new one.

Bella and Edward were supposed to leave soon for their fifth wedding anniversary/second honeymoon. They were going to Isle Esme for at least a month. Since it was June, and they got married in August, it was closer to their sixth anniversary, but I guess since they had forever it didn't really matter. Bella, being Bella, hadn't wanted to leave on their actual anniversary and risk missing school. Going now, at the beginning of the summer break at Dartmouth, meant they could be gone for one month or three and not have to worry about the time.

I risked running in Wolf form instead of driving since it was faster, not wanting to miss them and my chance to say goodbye before they left. Carlisle had offered to drive them to the airport on his way to work; he was currently _interning_ at the local hospital. But it didn't look like I had needed to rush. Sniffing the air I could tell that Edward wasn't back yet. He must still be out, picking up his surprise present for Bella; not that he had waited till the last minute to get her something. Whatever he had gotten Bella had been custom made and it took longer than expected to come in.

It was actually kinda funny hearing him screaming on the phone the other day, while Bella was out, finishing up her last exam of the semester. For all of his yelling and insisting it be ready _this morning_ for him to pick up, it seemed like it had done little good. He should have been back long before me. The screaming was so unlike him. I was more used to him buying and charming his way through life.

"Mom, can I talk to you, quickly before you leave?" I heard Nessie call to Bella through an open window as I phased back onto two legs and walked up to the back door of the house.

I should go interrupt them so Bella can reschedule hers and Edward's flight till tomorrow… or at least later today, before it's too late.

"So you've made your choice?" I heard Bella ask Nessie just as I was about to grab the door handle. Though I didn't know what she was referring to, it seemed private, and important, so I decided against going into the living room now. I could wait until they were done and settled down under the open window.

"Yes, I think so."

"Are you completely sure?" Bella asked. They didn't seem to notice I was out here.

"No, not completely; mostly," Nessie replied.

"Well, you need to be one hundred percent certain. This is not a decision you should make lightly." Hmmm this sounded serious. Maybe I should listen more closely if it affected Nessie.

"I know that. I just don't want to break either of their hearts. I care for both of them, and I think they both love me." She must be talking about me and Nahuel.

"So what's the problem? Things seemed to be going so well between the two of you. You got along just fine as friends for years."

"Yes, I know. It's just... I don't think I want him in my life, like this, anymore. I don't think I want to spend eternity with him." Him? Him who? Nahuel or me?

"Have you told him this yet?"

"No, but... well, now that I'm coming to realize it can never work out between the two of us romantically, I don't know what to do. I want to let him down gently, but I'm not sure if that's the best approach."

"And why is that?" Bella asked her.

"He keeps telling me how we're destined to be together. That he'll always be with me, no matter what. How I'm the only one for him. But I don't think I want him. And I don't want to be with him that way. I've let this go on for too long without telling him how I feel and I just don't love him that way." Why did I have a bad feeling I knew where this was going?

"You should try talking to Jacob about this." So it is me she's talking about! Crap! Nessie doesn't want me.

"Why? What would that do? I don't think he really wants me to be with Nahuel, he never did. He was fine with me dating him just because he wants me to be happy. But what could he do now? I don't want to hurt him even more than I already have."

"There has to be a way to get rid of him." Now Bella wants to get rid of me too? I thought we were friends? Just because her daughter is in love with someone else, she doesn't want me around either?

"How, he would just come back if I told him to leave, you know he would."

"What about -"

"What? You know what he thinks, there's no one else on the planet for him but me. And you know this is true as much as I do. It is not like he's going to just give up when he has no other options. I feel like I'm trapped, and he's trapped too. I feel bad for him. This isn't his fault. It's like he is trying to make the best of it, but he's going about it in the wrong way. He's going to make both of us miserable if this continues."

"If he's truly making you that unhappy and refuses to leave then there may be little that we can do short of physical violence." What? No; Bella would never seriously suggest that, would she?

"Mom, how can you say that? We cannot kill him. Think of all he's done for me. For you. He saved our lives, he's still my friend, and he loves me. Just because I don't love him in return doesn't mean he deserves to die."

"No, of course not. You know I was joking; just trying to lighten the mood. I guess humor's not my strong suit. Besides I didn't mean to imply that we would kill him. And I don't want to hurt him either. He's my friend too. But we have to do something and if it comes down to a choice between my friend and my family, my family always wins. No matter whom the other person is."

"Good because I don't want to hurt him, even emotionally. I know it's inevitable, but there has to be a way to at least lessen it." I heard one, or both, of them sigh before Nessie continued. "So what am I going to do? Can you think of a way to do this without hurting him?"

"I'm afraid there isn't a lot you can do about that. You're going to break his heart. But it has to be done. Talk to Jacob about this, he'll help you through it. He always knows what you need and only wants what's best for you. It'll make things easier." Me? Bella thinks I can help? I guess I could help her by leaving like she asked and... _never_ return. It would crush me but I would try, if that was truly what she wanted. No matter how much it hurt. But even Nessie seemed to understand that would be difficult. She pulled me to her, like gravity.

"No. I need to figure things out without Jacob. I don't want him hurt even more. I just need to find a way to make him see that we're not going to happen, ever."

"Nessie, I'm sure if you told Nahuel he would understand." Nahuel? What would telling Nahuel do? Did she think he might force me to leave? Or was Bella referring to him trying to _tolerate_ my continued presence in Nessie's life. Was I missing something?

"How? It's not like the three of us can be a couple. Just look at what happened with Colleen, Embry and Henry. And I don't think that would help. He knows Jake has been with me my entire life. He knows he's my protector. And we even talked about how Nahuel was worried about the two of us being so close. It won't work." Nessie got quiet for a moment. What was she thinking? "I believe I have an idea on how to end things between us forever, romantically at least."

"What is it?"

"I'm just going to tell him the truth, sort of. That the three of us will have to be together. I'm going to insist it has to be that way. That if he wants me, he has to take him as well. I could never have it any other way. It's the truth, so it is perfect. I don't think he would stand for it. Jake and Nahuel have never gotten along. He'll leave on his own."

What? Did that mean that I could stay if I started getting along better with Nahuel? She'd let me stay as her friend? I hoped so. I would do anything for her. She seemed to doubt that I could do it, but I would prove her wrong. I loved her so much.

"Make sure you talk to him soon. Talk to both of them. If this is what you want you need to be clear."

"I will mom, thanks," Nessie said.

Now that their conversation was over, and after the shock settled down for me, at least enough for me to stop shaking, I got up to go talk to Bella, but now I couldn't remember what it was I was supposed to tell her.

* * *

Renesmee's Point of View

* * *

"Jake?" I called. "Jaaacooob?" Where was he? Possibly in the garage with Aunt Rose? He had been spending so much time in there recently.

"Nessie? Did you need something?" he asked, coming out of the kitchen. Of course. One of the only other places he seemed to ever be, if he wasn't already by my side, or outside carving something, or practicing on his guitar. (He really was getting quite good.)

"I wanted to talk to you about something." This was it, I was going to tell him about my plans regarding me, Nahuel, and him, just like my mother suggested.

"Oh," he looked like he was upset. Did something happen that I didn't know about? "Alright, um... let's go for a walk. Okay?"

He didn't wait for my answer, just started walking, so I followed. He led me to our favorite spot in the woods and I was about to tell him everything when he surprised me by speaking first.

"Nessie, I think I know what you're going to tell me. I overheard your conversation with Bella yesterday and I know what you want. The compromise you settled on between Nahuel and me," he confessed.

"So you did hear." I thought I smelt him. "Are you mad?"

His eyes grew wide. "Mad? Why would you think I would be mad? You're letting me stay with you forever. If that's what you really want, I mean. I would never presume to -"

"Yes," I cut him off. "Of course I want you, I love you Jake. And I want you to be happy, too."

"I love you too, honey."

"And you think it will work?"

"I'll do my best to make it work, Nessie. You know I'll do anything to make you happy." I wished he looked happier though.

"Alright then." I needed to take a deep breath before beginning again. This was going better than I hoped. "I just have to do this with Nahuel, and then we can be together, forever. But I'm probably going to need to be with him, at some point, in a way that you won't approve of. You know if I'm still dating him, things are bound to get... physical... eventually. I've been holding things off with him so far until I decided... things."

Now it seemed like it was Jacobs turn to take some deep breaths. I knew he wouldn't be happy with what I just told him and he seemed to struggle with what he was going to say next.

"Renesmee, you can't go about your life doing, or not doing things, just because you think I may, or may not, approve. You need to be with Nahuel in a way that you're comfortable with. So, if you want to do... _things_ with him, then my opinion shouldn't stop you. Of course if you don't want to do something, don't. Don't ever do anything with him you don't want to just because he does. Do you understand?"

"Yes... But, Jake…"

"Yeah?"

"Please don't worry so much. You know I can take care of myself. I'm a big girl, remember?"

"Sure, honey," he said as he pulled me into a hug.

He still seemed off; maybe we could go do something fun to brighten his mood. There was a new movie out that we were looking forward to seeing. Now seemed as good of a time as any.

I was about to ask if he wanted to go when his phone started beeping. Someone had sent him a text. I couldn't believe my parents were checking up on me already.

After he finished texting them back, I asked him, "Did you let me parents know that I was able to survive one entire day without them?"

"It was actually Andy, she wants to set up some study sessions over the summer, to sort of review everything we learned this year. I texted her back that we could and I'd call her back after I talked to you and found a good time. Is that okay?"

"Jake, I don't think she really needs help studying. She has one of the best grasps of the material in the class. Of course, you can go over everything with her sometime if you want to, but I don't think she's actually interested in seeing me."

"Of course she is. You know the material better than me, she probably only texted me because she doesn't have your number."

"I don't think that has anything to do with it, _Jakey_," I smirked, using her nickname for him. "Have you noticed how she is with you at school... at all?" Not likely.

"What are you talking about? We see her in class and hang out a little, before and after. You know that. But she's always with Rob, and you know I don't really like him very much anymore, not after the things he said, no matter if he apologized or not. Too little, too late. I only really hung out with them last year so that I had someone to talk to, about you."

"Well, I was just wondering because of the _CRUSH_ she has on you." I was hoping, well wishing, he would find the news as amusing as I thought. But I also knew he probably had no clue what I was talking about, he never noticed other girls looking at him. Andy was very pretty, for a human, and if it wasn't for the Imprint, Jake might actually like her. They did have a lot in common.

When I first met her she kept calling him "Jakey" and touching him, not that she ever stopped. Jake only saw them as friendly touches; she did the same to Rob, just not as much. But she touched Jake more than I was comfortable with. I couldn't figure out why I had gotten so upset at the time, never having experienced jealousy before. But it's not like I had anything to worry about, so I never mentioned it to him. Sure she was female, but in all the times he talked about her Freshman year, Jacob never even mentioned it, and I had been picturing a guy, before I met her. But it was understandable. He didn't see other girls' faces.

"Huh? Really? I had no idea," he admitted.

"I figured. I just brought it up because she's getting more and more upset that you keep blowing her off. If you don't say something to her after this -" It was getting out of hand, really. And I thought it was about time I mentioned it before she did something drastic.

"Sure, sure. I guess that would be upsetting. But I just texted her that WE both could help her study. I probably already hurt her feelings."

"Yeah, but she knows that I'm... um, dating Nahuel, and we are just friends. She won't think much of that; you and I are always together. She knows we're like a packaged set."

"Sure, sure," he mumbled again. "What am I going to tell her?" he asked more to himself than to me.

"I don't know," I replied anyway. "Not the truth, of course, but if you don't want to have a relationship with her you should be as honest as you can be, right?

"I guess you're right, and you're sure she likes me like that?" Jake questioned. Why was he finding it so hard to believe that someone could like him? He was wonderful.

"She definitely likes you." What if he did like her? Wait, what if I was wrong? What if Imprinting on a half-Vampire was different for him than the other Wolves who Imprinted on humans? They were all together romantically. But Jacob had rejected me when I tried to make our relationship physical. Sure he said it was because I appeared too young at the time, but what if he just didn't think of me that way and never would? Just because the Imprint would not allow him to be able to tell if she liked him, maybe that didn't necessarily mean he didn't like her. They got along great and had so much in common. "Did you want to go out with her?" I hoped and prayed the answer would be _no_ but I just thought I should check first, just in case. If it would make him happy…

"No, Nessie of course I don't. You know I could only love you, but... um... _you_ didn't want me go out with her, did you?" He gave me a look that looked somewhere in between skeptical and horrified.

"I just want you to be happy, Jacob. I wanted to make sure. I know you don't have a lot of choices. Well just one actually. And since I'm... um, currently unavailable, I just thought that if you wanted to try to be with someone else, I didn't want to stand in your way."

"That's… sweet of you, but that's not how this whole Imprinting thing works. I could never be with somebody else. Did I ever tell you the story of when Sam first Imprinted on Emily?" When I shook my head he continued. "She was horrified that he would just leave her cousin. She tried to force him to go back to Leah and we all know how well that turned out." Yeah I remember that part. That's how Emily got her scars. "It made the heartbreak even worse.

'I'll just have to figure out a way to let her know that I'm not interested. It's not like we've ever gone out, and I've never given her any indication that I returned her feelings, I'm sure she won't be that upset."

"Yeah," I joined in his verbal thought process, "maybe if you mention to her how much Rob likes her, something might happen between the two of them. They probably have just as much in common as the two of you. And they already get along so well, I think she's just been so blinded by you all year, she never even noticed him that way."

"Rob? I wouldn't want to inflict that jerk on her, or anyone."

"He's not so bad. So he said one stupid thing." Over and over again, to a lot of people. "Have you heard or seen him do anything else?"

"No," Jake admitted.

"Well then…" he just gave me a skeptical look. "Let's just suggest it to her. She heard what he said too, she can make her own decision, and it's not like we're forcing her to go out with him."

"Fine," he gave in. "So how about I call her and arrange for us to go over next Monday morning around ten. We'll both _help_ her study and I can break the news to her gently, while also casually mentioning Rob's interest in her. But for now how about the two of us go watch that new movie we've been dying to see?"

"My thoughts exactly," I beamed at him. I loved how in tune we were.


	19. A Very Long Night

**The Worm Moon**

* * *

**Year Five, Chapter Nineteen**

**A Very Long Night**

* * *

Jacob's Point of View

* * *

It was the beginning of August and Bella and Edward were still on vacation. I know school didn't start back up till late September and they didn't _need_ to come back yet, but at some point it's not a vacation, it's more like moving, being gone for that long. The Doc and Esme had left to go hunting yesterday and were not back yet, but Alice, Jasper, Rose, and Emmett had all come over to keep me company until Nessie came back. We were currently gathered in the movie room, watching some rather uninteresting Civil War documentary Jasper had picked. It was so boring I was about to fall asleep.

Just as my eyes were closing I heard Nessie arrive home. We had left the door open for that very reason.

"Thank you Nahuel, I had a lovely night."

"It's still early; we don't have to end it so soon, do we?" Nahuel countered.

"No, I suppose not."

"Would you... show me your room?"

She must have agreed because the next thing we heard was Nessie's and my bedroom door close. Blondie leapt from her chair and was halfway down the stairs before Emmett and I caught her. Through our Imprint bond I could tell Nessie had some mixed emotions right now - relief and I think a little bit of excitement. Either way she was having positive feelings for Nahuel going into the bedroom with her so even though I wanted to I couldn't bring myself to do what Blondie wanted and go in there and break them up. Jasper must have sensed it too.

I had seen their dates; I knew nothing was going to happen. From what Nessie had shown me, _nothing_ besides a few kisses here and there, ever happened between them. Nessie and Nahuel had been _dating_ for eight months now. I was worried at first, and had followed them at the beginning to make sure she was safe with him. I could never be too careful. But it was all very innocent and I soon relaxed, mostly. She used her gift to show me everything that happened at night after she returned from each date. I know she understood I was nervous because of the Imprinting, but I would never stop her if it was what she wanted. I had no reason to believe tonight's date would be any different than the others. Rosalie didn't have as much faith in men. I understood why though. Nessie would probably just show him some of her pictures, carvings, and books and then he would leave.

"Guys why don't you take Rose hunting, _in Canada_," Alice stressed. "Jasper and I can stay here and make sure Nessie stays in one piece."

Emmett and I had to practically drag Rose out the door and into his Jeep.

We didn't return until early the next morning, but I wasn't worried. Alice said she would call my cell if anything happened and we had made sure to stay where we had a signal.

She did call once, just after we got on the highway, but just to let us know that she had looked into the future, and everything would be fine. Although she couldn't see Nessie or Nahuel she was able to see around them. She told us that none of them looked upset about anything tragic happening that night. Jasper also reassured us, adding that he would monitor Nahuel and make sure he didn't get too _excited_ or overwhelmed by anything.

Unfortunately as soon as I walked into the front door the next morning my world crumbled. There HE was, _leaving_ our bedroom. He had been with Nessie all night. To make it worse he was just now pulling a shirt on, and I was pretty sure it was my shirt. I could only imagine what happened to his. No wait, I don't want to do that.

Was she still alive, did he lose control? I started to panic. No, Alice and Jasper would have stopped him. I tried listening for her heartbeat, which wasn't easy with Rose screaming about how he had ruined everything. Yes, there it was - her heartbeat, steady and strong. She was still alive. He hadn't fed from her, at least not this time. I guess Edward was right, he had changed.

It took some effort, more than we had last night, but Emmett and Jasper were eventually able to grab Rose and drag her out the door, with Alice chirping away about how everything would be okay. I blocked out what she said. I didn't think this was okay, but was glad they got rid of her. I didn't need Rose hurting Nahuel, that would only hurt my Nessie. But she wasn't my Nessie anymore, I guess she never really was.

Suddenly a horrible thought occurred to me. What if he had coerced her, or... forced her? No, Jasper would have felt that too. Nessie must have wanted it to happen too.

I was just staring at him, in a daze really, when Nahuel walked over to me and asked to talk to me. What? Why? This should be... _interesting_.

I followed him as he sat rather uncomfortably on the living room couch. My knees didn't seem to want to work, so I just stood, still dumbfounded, in front of him. "Jacob, I feel like I should apologize to you. I've taken what was yours without your permission."

"S'okay, not really mine," was all I managed to mumble.

"But it was. And you must be angry with me for borrowing your... um, bed last night."

Was he kidding? "No, I'm not... upset," I struggled to say. I couldn't be, shouldn't be, not if it made Nessie happy. "All I care about is Nessie's happiness. As long as she is happy... and _SAFE_," I stressed the last word for him, "then what I want doesn't really matter."

"Ah, yes she explained that about the Imprinting." He got up and turned around, looking towards the door he had just come out of. "I hadn't initially realized that it extended beyond you merely being her protector."

"Yeah, I'm whatever Nessie wants me to be. I love her." I may as well be completely honest with him, he would find out eventually anyway, if he and Nessie were going to be together, permanently. Which I guess they were.

Part of my heart was breaking, even more now that it was really sinking in. Like I told Nahuel, I would be happy for her if she was happy, but I really thought, well hoped, that she was going to eventually dump him and choose me. Except she didn't and I had lost her forever. Hopefully she would at least still want to be friends with me. I couldn't lose her completely, but would she still want me, would she still need me? She had Nahuel. I wasn't sure I could live without her; maybe I would go Wolf, permanently, like Embry; just watching over her, or them, from a distance.

"Yes, well, we seem to be in a complicated situation," Nahuel continued, turning back around to face me. "In any event, I'm sorry. I believe there are many things that we need to discuss."

"You seem to make her... _happy_. And like I said, as long as Nessie is happy, then I'm happy."

"That may be good enough for you, but I'm not sure if I can handle a relationship between the three of us!"

"Well that's really up to Nessie isn't it? If she wants to spend eternity with both of us or not," I growled back at him. Was he really telling me I couldn't stay friends with Nessie?

"Perhaps, but I believe I have a say in my life as well," Nahuel countered. "I've had a long night, and I'm not sure about you, but I didn't get any sleep, perhaps we should continue this conversation at a later time?" He looked a little creeped out. I'm not sure why. If I'd had the night he just had with Nessie, no one would be able to wipe the grin from my face for about a month. "I assume you will want to reclaim your normal spot, next to Renesmee. I shall retire to my own room." With that he took off towards Carlisle and Esme's house. Seriously? He couldn't get far enough away from me right now. The jerk!

Argh! Nahuel was right about one thing - I was tired, but it's not like I was going to listen to him and go sleep next to Nessie in her bed. Why would he even suggest that? It wasn't my bed anymore than she was mine. Should I go in there though and make sure she was okay? I heard that it's painful for girls to lose their virginity, but I just couldn't. I could feel the pull of the Imprint but it wouldn't be right. And then there would probably be a sex smell still in the air. No, I definitely didn't want to go in there.

Slowly I made my way to my _own_ room, I'd actually only spent about six months in there when we first moved to Haverhill, NH. I guess I should start getting use to it, again. As I crawled into the bed I realized how it seemed so big, cold, and empty, which in any other circumstances would have been funny. The last time I was stuck sleeping in this bed I hadn't really noticed that, of course back then I believed it would only be temporary. This time I knew it was permanent.

* * *

Renesmee's Point of View

* * *

Nahuel had left my door open just a sliver, but it was just enough for me to be able to hear the conversation between him and my Jacob. I couldn't wait to talk to Jacob about my night, but then I heard him go into the other bedroom. What was going on? I know I heard Nahuel mention for him to come in here with me.

Did Jacob find Nahuel's scent as disturbing as full Vampires? I know he liked my smell, but maybe that was just because of the Imprinting. Our room did smell a bit like Nahuel now, and if it was true I could understand how Jacob wouldn't want to breathe that in while he slept. It was really inconsiderate of me, but I would have to deal with that later. For now I got up and made my way to the other bedroom, and slid into bed beside Jake.

"Renesmee? What are you doing?" Why did he seem so surprised to see me? He must be pretty mad that our room now smelled like a Vampire.

"I'm sorry, my Jacob. I know you're upset and I wanted to apologize. When Nahuel asked last night… I hadn't thought how this would impact you. I'll wash the sheets and pillows tomorrow to try and get Nahuel's scent out."

Jacob just looked stunned, Nahuel's smell must be worse for him than I realized. I'll have to open the windows too.

"Oh, um... it's okay, Renesmee. It's your, um... room. You can do whatever you want in it," he said, looking anywhere but my eyes. He seemed... embarrassed? Why?

"Where were you last night? I kept expecting you to come to bed."

"I um… I heard you and Nahuel before you err… went to bed. So I… _decided_ to go hunting with Rose and Emmett," he explained. Sort of. It seemed like it was hard for him go get the words out, what few there were.

"Here," I went to touch his face, "let me show you my date."

"No, Renesmee! I don't think I can watch that." He jerked away from my hand before I could place it on him. He looked a bit queasy now, was he sick? And why was he not calling me Nessie?

"But you always want to see my dates with Nahuel."

"Renesmee, I don't think that's appropriate anymore. You're clearly old enough now to make your own decisions and some things should be kept private, even from me. And honestly, I don't think I can watch anymore." He looked so sad and he still wouldn't look at me.

"Did I do something wrong, Jacob? I already told you I would wash the sh... "

"No, of course not, you did absolutely nothing wrong. It's me; this is my issue, I just need to deal with it." After a moment he added, "Um, how are you doing, are you in any pain?"

Huh? I know he mentioned that, because of the Imprinting, he would be in pain whenever he was away from me. But I never told him I felt it too. He must have already known, but we were only apart for the one night. It wasn't that bad. But it was sweet of him to care. I love him so much.

"I'll be alright, my Jacob. Being without you is the only thing that can cause me real pain, you know that, and you're back now anyway," I whispered with a small smile.

He still looked off, maybe he was just tired.

"Let's go to sleep. Scoot over," I added with an ever bigger smile.

"You still want to sleep in the same bed as me?" Why did he look so surprised?

"But we always sleep together." I was hurt now and could feel the tears start building up. "Did I ruin things, between us, that badly?"

"No, of course not. I just thought that now that... _things_ had progressed between you and Nahuel, you wouldn't want to be with me anymore. I would stay with you forever if you would let me."

Progressed? I guess it was true, Nahuel and I now had a new… _understanding_ between each other. But why would that affect Jacob's and my relationship? "Jacob, I'll always want you with me. It's Nahuel that actually needs some convincing," I admitted.

"Yeah, I was afraid of that," Jacob huffed. "But we still have tonight, well this morning, I guess."

"Everything will work out, don't worry my Jacob," I said as I laid down on the bed to _finally_ get some sleep. "I love you."

"I love you too Nessie, forever."

* * *

Jacob's Point of View

* * *

When I woke, Nessie was still asleep in my arms. It was almost noon and I had formed a plan sometime during my restless sleep. Nessie wanted me to stay with her. But she also wanted to be with Nahuel. He was the one I guess I needed to convince to let me stay in their lives. Maybe if I was really nice to him, and useful, and stayed out of the way during their personal time I could show him I wouldn't be a hindrance. All I wanted was Nessie, in any way I could have her, and at this point I wasn't above groveling and begging.

Oh, what I wouldn't do for that girl! But she was my Imprint and was worth it. It was weird though. I was supposed to be an Alpha. I was supposed to be the leader; the one everyone looked to, and looked up to.

What happened to me? NAHUEL! That was my answer. Humph!

Unfortunately there wasn't anything I could do about it. This was Nessie's decision. Not mine. I needed to get up, so I could start sucking up to him.

After I managed to get out of bed without waking Nessie, I headed to the Kitchen to make lunch. There were only a few human foods that Nessie liked, strawberries being her favorite, but since I was making lunch I was thinking something more filling would be better. I knew she was okay eating salads, and while she loved blood, meat wasn't something she enjoyed, as ironic as that sounded. Sometimes she would eat a little chicken now and then or steak if it wasn't cooked too much. I figured Nahuel's dietary preferences would be the same, so I risked grilling up some chicken for them and threw it on their salads, then taking the rest of the chicken, I made a nice sub for myself, adding in some lettuce, tomato, Mayo, onions, pickles, bacon, and a few other things I found in the fridge. Then I threw some chips on the side and grabbed some drinks for everyone. At least I was getting some use out of Bella's cooking lessons. I was just about done when HE walked in.

"Good afternoon," I began with as much enthusiasm as I could muster. I don't know how convincing it was though. I would rather deal with a situation I could fight my way through than this. "Would you like something to eat? I made us all lunch."

"Um, sure. Thank you, Jacob. Is now a good time to talk?"

Nahuel wasn't one to put things off, it seemed. "Sure, sure. Would you like to go somewhere more private?"

"There is no need. The house is currently empty, with the exception of the three of us. Carlisle and Esme are at their house. Alice and Jasper went shopping, I think, and Rose and Emmett have not returned yet. We may talk freely."

"Okay. Um, so… how did you sleep?"

"Well enough. But I would have preferred to have traded places with you," he admitted, while his eyes swept the room. "Where is Renesmee currently?"

"Well, um... she was still asleep, in my bed, when I got up," I replied.

"Your bed? I thought you shared a bedroom?"

"We do. Technically you were in her room last night, but I have a room right next to hers. I've barely ever slept in it actually. It didn't seem right to stay in her room last night after the two of you... err... occupied it." This was possibly the most awkward conversation of my life. How do I keep getting myself into situations like this?

"Jacob, I'm very sorry about last night. If I had known... You and Renesmee... the imprinting... I didn't... If I had known... And then we... I'm sorry, I'm not usually this so incoherent, it's just I didn't realize..."

"Yeah I gathered that." What was he talking about? "So what are you trying to say to me?"

"I just... I'm sorry about... I, we... last night... your bed... you didn't... and I took... Nessie never –"

"NAHUEL! Please stop!" I didn't need a recount of what they did last night. Much less an incoherent one at that. And I really didn't want to go into it or hear anything explicit. "Whatever happened last night, whatever happens between the two of you in the future, as long as it's what Nessie wants, and she's happy, then I'm happy," I added, minus the yelling.

"Yes, she explained that part of Imprinting to me. I'm sorry I didn't realize, before. I never would have -" he trailed off. What did he mean by that? But I don't think I was going to get an answer anytime soon.

"Sure, sure. I'm sure our places will be reversed soon enough," I mumbled under my breath. It was still confusing me why he hadn't stayed with Nessie last night. It was weird, well he was weird. Clearly! I guess I would just need to get use to him. Hopefully. Maybe it would be best if I went with the assumption that he was going to let me stay. "So it looks like the three of us are going to be together for the foreseeable future. Why don't you tell me some of your favorite foods so can make them for you later?" Yup, show him that I can make myself useful; give him a reason to keep me around.

"Jacob, I think you're getting ahead of yourself." My heart sank. Did he already make up his mind to get rid of me? "I'm not the type of man who is capable of sharing a woman."

Crap! He did.

"Can't you at least give it a try? Think of Nessie, having us all together is what would make her happy. And try to imagine what a life without her would be like, where she is the only person on the entire planet you were capable of being with in any real way. Wouldn't it be better to be with her, even if it wasn't exactly how you pictured it would be, than not have her at all?"

"I admit I would not look forward to living a life without her." Nahuel agreed. "I'm willing to give it a try, when you put it that way."

"Thank you, you have no idea what this means to her... and me," I said, as I let out a sigh of relief.

"So how exactly is _this_... going to work?" He was asking me?

"I think that would be up to Nessie, don't you?" I said as she walked into the kitchen. I was so involved in the conversation with Nahuel I didn't even hear her coming.

"Jacob, did you make lunch for everyone? That's so nice of you," she exclaimed, looking at the food and then placed a kiss on my cheek, before I could pull away. Nahuel didn't seem happy with it, but what really surprised me was that she didn't kiss him at all. Maybe she was just embarrassed to, around me.

"Here," I handed Nessie the salad I made her, "why don't I get out of your way, I can go eat somewhere else."

"Don't be ridiculous, my Jacob. We can all eat together, and I think it might be nice if you and Nahuel got to know each other better."

With that she grabbed her salad and the water bottles and headed to the kitchen table.

Great! This should be the opposite of fun.

I was about to hand Nahuel his salad when he reached right past it and took my sub.

"No, that's -" I half attempting to snatch it back, but he already turned and was walking to the table to sit down next to Nessie.

Never mind. I guess his salad would have to hold me over for now. I'll have to grab something more substantial, to fill my stomach, later.

I sat down, opposite them, but then Nessie got up and moved to sit by my side. What was she up to? I'm probably just overthinking things; she probably just wants make it easier to look in his eyes, or something.

She did however give me a strange look after eyeing _my_ salad, but never said anything.

As we ate we ended up making a schedule to divide Nessie's time between the two of us, at Nahuel's suggestion. But it was Nessie who actually set the timetable.

She still wanted me with her every night, which I found a little strange, but then again, I wasn't complaining. Nahuel seemed upset by this, but didn't object, much to my surprise and delight. I wonder if she was worried her nightmares would return if she was asleep next to anyone besides me.

On Mondays, Wednesday, and Fridays, Nahuel and Nessie would continue to go on their dates. I didn't even want to imagine what they would involve now. At least I would get to hang out with her on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday nights.

Nessie and I would continue to be together in school, (Nahuel choose not to enroll after all) when it started up again next month, but until then we would switch off mornings and afternoons. When school started again Nahuel would spend the day with her in the morning and I would do homework and study with her after class.

Every weekend she would hunt with me on Sundays, and spend Saturday mornings with me, and the afternoons with him, until nighttime when I got her back again.

We would also ALL "eat" breakfast and dinner together every day, except Sundays when Nessie and I went hunting. Of course Nessie didn't need to eat as much food as a human would, since she filled up mostly on blood. She normally ate only one _human_ meal a day, but she thought we could all use the time together. Nessie called it our "get to know each other time".

I hoped this would work. At least this way Nahuel and I would be interacting as little as possibly, leaving me with little opportunity to offend or upset him. It also, however left little time for me to suck up to him and convince him to let me stay.

* * *

Nessie walked into the living room, where Emmett and I were watching the Mariners game on the flat screen. There was three minutes left, but they were down by fifteen. The game might not be technically over, but it was over.

It looked like she had finished getting ready for her date tonight with Nahuel. Damn, she looked gorgeous. Well she always looked gorgeous, but tonight she was dressed up so beautifully, she just took my breath away.

She was supposed to be meeting Nahuel here before they left together, but I hadn't seen him since this morning. He must still be at Carlisle and Esme's house.

"What time's your date?"

"In about twenty minutes," she told me. It was unlike her to be ready this early. Normally she stayed in her room getting ready, right up till the last second. Not that she needed to do anything to look perfect, she always did. She could wear a potato sac and still look better than any model on the planet. "My mother's supposed to be calling any minute now and I thought you might want to talk to her, too."

Bella and Edward called at least once a week to talk to Nessie, and while I wasn't there for every call I had a feeling she hadn't mentioned her night with Nahuel, or their new relationship status.

"Thanks, honey."

Nahuel arrived just as I finishing talking to Bella and gave Nessie her phone back.

"Are you ready to go?" he asked her.

"Well, not that it wouldn't be interesting, staying here to see you not do anything," Emmett interrupted, not seeming to speak to anyone in particular, as the game officially ended, "but Rose bought some new lingerie and promised to model it for me tonight. Have fun reading, or whatever you do at night," he snickered.

"What's wrong," Nessie asked me after he left. She knew all my moods just by one look at my face, and could tell I was upset right now.

"Nothing. Em's just annoying. Does he always have to brag about how he's getting lucky all the time?" I replied honestly. "It's just so…" I don't know.

"I don't think luck has anything to do with it," Nahuel snarled. "Rosalie actually _wants_ to sleep with him." Really, was he seriously choosing to mock me on my pathetic lack of a romantic relationship with my Imprint?

I was about to growl, but Nessie beat me to it. Why was she upset about what Nahuel said? It wasn't like I was going to ask and didn't get the opportunity to do so anyway. Nahuel practically dragged Nessie out the door as soon as he was done with his dumb comment, not seeming to even notice that she was angry.

I would have said something, but she either wasn't as disturbed as I thought or got over it quickly, because she smile and waved to me as she left with him.

Whatever. Maybe I would try to talk to her later about it. Alone. When they got home. She told me earlier that she wanted to go out on a _normal_ human date tonight and convinced Nahuel to take her to dinner. Since she hated human food I figured they would be back in a couple of hours, then we would sit down and talk and I would make sure everything was okay.

I really wanted to follow them on their date, but seeing as how their relationship had progressed, even if this was just a dinner date, me tagging along (whether they knew it or not) was no longer appropriate.

* * *

Where were they?

Nessie and Nahuel left on their date over four hours ago. They should have been back a long time ago. I was worried. No, I passed worried twenty minutes ago. If there were not back in a half-hour I was going to go out and look for them. I had been pacing around the house for the past hour and a half. What could have happened? Was she hurt? Did they get in a car accident? Did they run into a Vampire? Nahuel promised he could protect her, well technically he said something like "the two of them could handle any dangers they came across". But just because he _thought_ that didn't mean it was true. What if he was wrong?

I checked my phone again, not only to see the time, but see if I had missed a call from her. Nope, nothing. I mean there was little chance I would miss a call since my phone was in my pocket, with the ringer set as loud as it could go, just in case. But I wanted to double check.

I looked again.

Nothing. Damn!

After pacing around the house, I ended up in our bedroom where I spotted the carvings Nessie's had made for me. She had really gotten into the woodcarving once I showed her how, and before long she had made several small trinkets for everyone in the family. But what she made me was unbelievable. She carved individual relief portraits of my father and sisters, and another of the two of us together, on pine panels that were now hanging on the bedroom walls. They were so thoughtful and beautiful. Just like her.

But where was she?

Just as the thirty minutes were up, she and Nahuel waltzed back into the house, smiling and laughing.

I let out a deep sigh of relief and though I wanted to, restrained myself from wrapping her in a huge hug when she came over to me. She was with him; it wouldn't be right, anymore.

"Are you okay?" she asked me, probably noticing the worry in my eyes.

"Just missed you," I lied.

"Well I'm back and I'm all yours, almost," she said, holding up her index finger, before going to give Nahuel a goodnight kiss.

It was more than a little uncomfortable for me; the nights Nessie and Nahuel would come back from their dates. We had fallen into a strange routine these past two weeks. He would walk her to our bedroom door where I would be waiting. I would look away awkwardly as she kissed him. I mean I tried not to stare, but it was still strange, what with me just standing there. Eventually, she would end the kiss, always pulling away before he did, then take my hand and we would walk into our room, leaving him standing alone in the hallway. As soon as she grabbed me, every time, a huge smile appeared on my face - she was back with me where she belonged. My heart was back.

Sometimes I would glance back at Nahuel; he always looked annoyed, sad, or frustrated. Why? He had just been on a date with Nessie… doing who-knows-what with her.

Oh, I just realized what they must have been doing to make them so late tonight. Hopefully he took her someplace nice and not some cheap hotel. I didn't see any leaves or twigs in her hair, so it probably wasn't just out in the woods. And she was happy when she came home.

But then why wasn't he happier?

Of course, if I was being honest, I knew why. Their date was over, and he had to hand her back to me. But he was the one who got her really. He got to kiss her, touch her, love her, the way that she deserved to be. I just kept her nightmares away. I was just her friend and protector, nothing more... no matter how much I loved her.

* * *

A.N. Do you hate me? Please don't. And don't stop reading. I promise it gets better... eventually.

Please review and let me know what you think.


	20. Jennifer

**The Blue Moon**

* * *

**Year Six, Chapter Twenty**

**Jennifer**

* * *

Renesmee's Point of View

* * *

"Alright Nessie, finish up. Bella and Edward will be home soon." Carlisle headed to the airport almost an hour ago to pick them up. "We need to get going if we're gonna be back when they are," Jacob said to me.

They had been gone for so long, three months, I figured I wouldn't want to leave them to go hunt later tonight. Once I saw my parents again I wouldn't want to lose any time with them; Jake knew this and took me hunting this afternoon, after our meeting with Rob and Andy, and a few others from our Engineering class. Classes at Dartmouth didn't start up again for another week but we had just met to catch up and review some material after the long summer break.

Last month Jacob had told Andy he wasn't interested in her, in no uncertain terms. Then, as we planned, I mentioned how I thought Rob was attracted to her, and she went and called him, right there in front of us, asking him out on the spot, which he was more than happy to accept. Jake and I could hear every word he spoke on the other end of the phone, so we knew they set up a date for later that very night. I believe they are still together and fairly happy. They seemed to be today anyway.

Today was Sunday, September 4th, my scheduled hunting day. We had just gone to our usual place, the White Mountain National Forest and I'd just finished draining a deer after first drinking a small Black Bear. They were Uncle Emmett's favorites. He'll probably be so jealous when I tell him about it, if and when he ever returns home with Aunt Rose. This was longer than they had ever been gone, well... without warning anyway. But they were Vampires, so I knew they could take care of themselves. It's not like I was worried, I just missed them. And Alice assured me they were fine, they were just off doing their own thing.

"All right, Jake. I'm all done, we can head back if you're ready."

My parents ended up staying on Isle Esme, to celebrate not only their fifth but also their sixth wedding anniversaries. I know they deserved some alone time together and had little since I was born. While they checked in frequently with me and Jake, calling around once a week to see if I was alright with them staying away so long I had missed them. I told them it was fine, but sometimes I really felt like the four year old I was. I needed to talk to my mother in person. So much had happened since she and my father left, between Nahuel and I... and Jacob, for that matter.

I couldn't understand Jake though. He said he was fine with my decision, and how I wanted to handle things, but no matter how many times I reassured him that we'd always be together he just looked so worried sometimes. He always tried to mask it quickly with a smile, but he couldn't fool me. I don't know what else I could say to him though. I needed to talk to my mother and father now that they would be back about this too, and see if they could help.

"Nessie before we go back I think you need to prepare yourself for Edward's reaction," Jake said as we ran back to the car. "I don't think he's not going to be too happy with you." Huh? "About what transpired between you and Nahuel."

"You don't think my mother would have warned him?"

"You told Bella about what you did?" There was shock coming through his voice.

"No, but she knew the general plan I had in mind before she left."

"Oh," he seemed puzzled, then irritated - but just for a second before regaining his composure. "Nessie I think if she told Edward he would have called, or come home early... to stop you."

"You think he is going to disapprove that much?"

"Yes! Edward is very old fashioned when it comes to _that_ sort of thing."

Really? "Well then what am I going to do?" I asked as we came up to the car and got in. I went to hold his hand, but he pulled it away, to hold the steering wheel before I could. It could have just been my timing, but I think he did it on purpose.

"I don't know. We can't stop him from finding out," Jake replied as he began driving us home, thirty-five miles an hour over the speed limit. "If he's home by now, he probably already heard from someone else. Maybe just keep your mind focused on the reasons behind your actions, and not dwell on the specific events... or your emotions. And stay behind me," he added with apologies and worry in his eyes. Was my father really going to be _that_ upset? I doubted it; Jake was just being his normal overprotective self. Either way, I guess I would find out soon enough. I could see our house now in the distance. We would be there in no time.

My parents were indeed waiting for us at the house when we returned. We should have left a little earlier, like Jake wanted. I was reasonably full after the first deer and probably didn't need the bear.

Though his car was parked outside, my grandfather was nowhere in sight. His scent led over to his own house. But my parents were in ours, which I could tell was empty, besides the four of us. I would have thought the whole family would have come over to welcome my parents' home, but I could smell them all over at my grandparents place.

Looking at my father's face I could see that he wasn't too happy. Maybe I was being too hopeful to assume it was just because we weren't here for his and my mother's return. But we couldn't have arrived too long after them, not as fast as Jacob had driven. My father couldn't be this upset from that.

Maybe it was that Aunt Rose and Uncle Emmett were still missing? No probably not. He would have read in Aunt Alice's mind where they went by now.

More likely, Jake was right and he heard in my mind, or Jacob's, or Nahuel's, or my Aunt and Uncle's for that matter, all of the events that had transpired since their departure. Did he send everyone else away? My father's face now looked a little similar to Jacob's. It wasn't that bad was it?

"Hi mom, how was your trip?" I asked ignoring my father's glare, and Jacob's request to stay behind him, running over to her and wrapping her in a huge hug.

I knew Jake grew more anxious with each step I took away from him. Leaving his side when there was any type of tension always made him uneasy but these were my parents.

"We had a wonderful time. I'll tell you all about it later," she said before my father cut her off.

"Nessie, your mother and I need to go hunting, why don't you join us?" I knew that was a blatant lie. Their eyes were golden in color. Neither of them would need to hunt for at least two weeks.

"I'll come too. I can always eat," Jacob offered, moving over to stand next to me.

"I actually just finished hunting with Jacob. I'm good," I replied, disregarding Jake's remarks while at the same time fanning ignorance to my father's true intentions.

"Renesmee," he seemed even more annoyed now, "your mother and I actually need to have a word with you ALONE!" he said looking at Jake, instead of me. "Let's go." In less than a fraction of a second he slipped between Jacob and I, grabbed my hand, throwing me over his shoulder, and carried me out the back door, my mother followed close behind, leaving Jake alone in the house.

When we were far enough away, six or seven miles, my father stopped. After a quick, whispered conversation with my mother, that was so soft, I was unable to hear it, even with my half-Vampire hearing, he finally spoke to me.

"Renesmee what has gone on here while we were away? I'm getting conflicting accounts in everybody's minds of what transpired, between you and Nahuel, over the past couple of months. I'm trying not to jump to conclusions like last time, so I would like you to please explain to me what happened.

"I'm sorry but I don't know what you mean." I quickly thought through the events of the past two months, for my father in my head, so he would know exactly what happened. I don't know where any confusion would have come from.

"Hmmm." He shot my mother a reassuring look, I think. "Emmett and Rose seemed to have been mistaken." Whatever she had been thinking my mother seemed slightly less tense now.

"What?" I was so confused. So many questions were going through my mind. When did my father talk to them? Did he see them? Are they coming home? What did they say to him? What is...

"Nessie," my father cut me off mid thought, "Rose called me a couple of days ago, that's why we came back now. We'd been planning on staying another week. She's very worried about you being with Nahuel, and couldn't keep quiet any longer."

"I'm surprised she lasted as long as she did," my mother added.

"Why was she so upset? Nothing _bad_ happened while you were gone. Didn't you see the same things I just showed you, in Nahuel's mind?" I asked my father.

"He wasn't at the house when we returned. I did glimpse in Carlisle's mind that he saw Nahuel take off rather early but he didn't mention why."

Hmmm, I wonder if he was out picking up something to make another gift for me? Like the flowers he grew, and the jewelry he made, they were thoughtful, but nothing too extravagant. Alice had given him a copy of the family credit card, under his name, to use for anything he wanted or needed. However she already supplied him with a full wardrobe on his visit after my first birthday, and updated it yearly. But beyond a few meals, he paid for during some of our dates and gas for the car, periodically, he never seemed to use the thing. His gifts for me were more personal, homemade ones, similar to the chess set that Jacob made me. Those two were really very alike in some ways.

"So you ignored Bella's advise to talk to Jake and went with this plan of yours instead?" my father asked.

"Yes, I thought it would be the easiest way, getting him to decide to leave me, or at least stop trying to pursue a romantic relationship. It seemed kinder this way, and I don't see him letting me go any other way, he's too connected to me as it is. His life is so different now than before... me... us, but I don't want a future with him, not like _that_. It's just so hard. His life is so intertwined with mine already. He gave up everything to be with me, his old life, his home, his family... everything."

"He may be able to adapt," my father said after letting out a long, yet unnecessary sigh. "Do you have any idea what this is doing to Jacob? He loves you. He deserves better than to be treated like this."

"What IS wrong with Jake? It seemed like there was something more than just all of his usual over-protectiveness," my mother wondered.

"Jake is strong. He can handle this. I've told him, more than once, that we'll be together forever. He knows that."

"I think you need to have another talk with him," my father countered. "He's very confused by everything that's happened, and he doesn't understand what is going on."

"What's he confused about? I thought I was clear about everything with him."

Instead of answering me, my father yelled into the forest, "Jacob, I'm NOT going to harm my own daughter."

"He's here?" I didn't see or smell him.

"He is about two miles away, and should be here any moment. I assumed he would come after you but I thought we'd have more time to talk first."

"Why would Jake think you would hurt Renesmee?" My mother seemed as confused as I was. I guess my father didn't explain everything to her during their hurried whispers.

"He's acting on misinformation, Bella." Then my father looked directly into my eyes. "You need to tell him the truth and soon Renesmee, or I will."

The truth? Jake already knows everything. Doesn't he?

"Almost, he has some things backwards," my father corrected me.

Backwards?

Just then, just like my father said, Jake appeared. After he phased back into his human form he came up behind me and protectively wrapped his arms around my shoulders, giving me a hug and sighing.

"Jake, I'm fine."

"Uh, huh," he just mumbled into my hair, after confirming for himself that I was unharmed. When he knew I was safe he let me go. I wished he hadn't, I missed his touch.

"I guess we should head back, now. I believe everyone is waiting for us at Esme and Carlisle's house," my mother suggested.

Since I wasn't going to be able to continue this conversation with my father, with Jacob here, I guess I would need to wait to find out what was going on.

* * *

Jacob's Point of View

* * *

"I'm going to go take a quick look around for Nahuel, I won't be long. Please make my apologies to everyone." Edward said to Bella, before taking off in the opposite direction of Nessie, Bella and I, who were running back to Carlisle and Esme's house.

Ha! I should have known that coward would take off as soon as he found out Edward was back and would be able to hear what Nahuel had done to his daughter. So long jerk.

Maybe now Rose and Em would come back.

Rosalie had left, and took Emmett with her, after the realization of Nessie and Nahuel being together. It had been more than a shock and disappointment to Rose. I thought that after she saw how Nessie had lived through the night, she would have eventually calmed down and returned. But that was a month ago.

I half expected that they would be here tonight, for Bella and Edward's homecoming celebration. But as the three of us approached the house, I knew they weren't. There was no hint of their smell anywhere near here. Nessie was going to be so disappointed, she missed Rose. Bella was her mother, but Rosalie thought of Nessie as her daughter too. It was hard for Nessie to have both of them gone at the same time.

Okay, I had my own reason for wanted them back too. It was selfish but I wanted the support. It was hard being the only one not speaking to Alice and Jasper. I wanted someone else here to be as pissed off at them as I was, for not stopping Nahuel from being with my angel like they promised.

Alice specifically promised to call me if anything happened. Sure she wasn't in the room, but she could see the future, around Nessie and Nahuel. Couldn't she have seen… somehow, what would have happened? And Jasper, he sensed others emotions. Couldn't he feel what she was when it was all happening? Didn't he know how… oh! I guess he had. It finally dawned on me that he _had_ felt how she felt. That's why neither of them stopped Nessie and Nahuel. She had enjoyed herself. Of course she had. Deep down I knew she did, I just didn't like admitting it.

I just wanted Nessie to be happy. It was why I was tolerating Nahuel. I owed them an apology. It had been over a month. They had come to talk to me after they first returned, minus Rose and Emmett, to explain what had happened, but I had refused to listen. I still didn't want to hear the exact reasons for their inaction, I didn't need or want to know them. Now that I finally figured it out I didn't need explicit details.

While Nessie was still peppering her mother about her trip, I talked to them. Alice was a lot more understanding than I think I deserved, and still wanted to tell me more about Nessie and Nahuel's first night together than I wanted to here.

"Jacob, you don't-" she started again.

"NO!" I shouted, covering my ears. I couldn't hear it. I wouldn't. "It's not…"

"Alice," Jasper simply said, quieting his wife, while he pulled her away. While he was overly protective of Alice, and mad at me for upsetting her, he must have known what her repeated attempts to talk about this was doing to me, too. Thank goodness.

Most of the time I liked Alice, when she wasn't playing dress up with me. And Jasper, while a little intense at times was cool, too. Way less annoying than Emmett. I was going to have to repair our relationship… eventually. Luckily I had forever.

In the meantime I rejoined Nessie, who was still talking to her mother about Isle Esme.

"Perhaps next summer the two of you might want to go there, too" I heard Bella suggest to her daughter as I came up to them.

Great, Nessie and Nahuel alone on an island, where I couldn't protect her. What was Bella trying to do to me?

"Oh. I…" Nessie looked like she was considering the idea, but then Edward showed back up.

"No luck," Edward announced, reappearing from his Nahuel search.

"You couldn't follow his scent?" I guess he wouldn't be going to Isle Esme after all. Good.

"My car's gone. He must have borrowed it."

_You think he's really going to show his face around here again?_

"Not to worry. It's LoJacked. We'll find it if we need to, but I'm sure it'll be back," he smirked to me, while throwing a glance over to Alice.

An hour later Edward was right, Nahuel returned. And he had a human woman with him. It looked like he was fawning all over her as they came in. I didn't recognize her but whoever she was, she was tall and lean, reminding me a little of Nessie. She hadn't seen them walk in yet, and I wanted to keep it that way.

"Hey Nessie maybe we should just get out of here for a while," I suggested while trying to block Nahuel and the woman from her view.

What the hell was going on? Why would he bring a strange woman to a house full of Vampires? The first thought that jumped to mind was that she had to be some new conquest for him. That he had gone off his revised human diet. But that brought me back to my first question… why bring her here? Was he planning on parading her around, in front of Nessie, until he got hungry for a snack later? Maybe she was just a distraction, to keep his mind occupied in front of Edward.

I was so confused. And not just about this. I had been feeling, for months now, that Nessie's feelings for Nahuel had seemed off. If I hadn't known better I would have thought her feelings for him were waning, but more recent events seemed to prove otherwise. I doubt that Nessie would have slept with him, if she was planning on ending things. But maybe it was him. Was it his feelings for her that had dwindled? Is that why he brought that woman here?

Whoever she was, why ever she was here, she seemed very nervous. I could understand why. Humans could sense the danger in Vampires, even if they didn't know what it was to be worried about. But something else was off. Her heart was racing. Wait! That was what was off. It was beating too fast, even if she was nervous. A human heart couldn't go that fast. Then it dawned on me. I had heard Nessie's heart beating that fast after some of her nightmares. This had to be one of Nahuel's sisters.

I knew Nahuel didn't get to see them often. They were normally with their father, that sicko, Joham. Which sister could this be and why would he bring her here? Were they all here? I didn't smell anyone else. Maybe he was introducing Nessie to his family, sort of. Was their relationship that serious?

Yeah, I guess it was. Damn!

But this was good, in at least one way that his sister was here now. Nahuel would be distracted... occupied, and most importantly not clinging to Nessie, because I wasn't letting her out of my sight, for one minute tonight. I could only imagine what Edward was thinking now that he could hear Nahuel's thoughts. Hopefully he wasn't thinking back to his private time together with Nessie.

I didn't need Edward going into a rage and attacking Nahuel. Well maybe not that much, a few broken bones here and there, I couldn't care about, but I didn't want to see Nessie being collateral damage.

No, I wouldn't want Nahuel hurt, either. Hurting him was almost the same as hurting Nessie. I never wanted anything to hurt my Nessie, even emotionally.

"Renesmee," Nahuel called from across the room, once he saw her. "Can you join me over here? I have someone I would like you to meet, please."

Nessie started to move towards him but I grabbed her arm and give her a look to tell her I wasn't letting her go. Luckily she just smiled back at me and we walked over together.

Nahuel seemed to sigh, seeing me with her but let it go. "Renesmee and Jacob, may I introduce you to my sister, Jennifer."

"Renesmee, it's nice to meet you," she smiled. "And Jacob," she looked at me and her smile dropped. "Nahuel mentioned he had entered into a... _relationship_ with you. It seems quite unconventional," she tried to chuckle but it was forced and uneasy.

"Well it works for us," I told her. I could only imagine what Nahuel had told her.

"For NOW," Nahuel countered rather gruffly. Maybe that's why Jennifer was here; to help him convince Nessie to get rid of me?

Later that night, when I was sure Edward wasn't going to go postal, I asked Nahuel to talk privately. Edward actually seemed to be talking things much better that I thought would be possible and I soon calmed down; about him at least.

I was worried about the comment Nahuel made early in the day to his sister. Had he had enough of me? Did he want me gone? I needed to find out so I could prepare, or strategize, or... something.

I led him on short walk into the woods, not by the birch trees, that was Nessie's and my spot. I didn't want him tainting it. I took him somewhere else, still secluded yet enough room to move around if needed.

For once he didn't look so smug when we stopped. He almost looked a bit nervous. Did he think I was going to attack him? That was an amusing thought.

"Have you changed your mind back there about things? Nessie? Or me? Do you want me gone?" I asked him point blank.

"Yes, I want you gone," he admitted. "But it's not like it would be that easy to get rid of you. As if I could just tell you to leave and you would."

"No, I would need to hear it from, Nessie." He better not try to get Nessie to order me to leave. I didn't know what I would do. But it would be bad, and Nessie would hate me.

"Well then, I guess the two of us are stuck with each other for a while longer," he huffed.

Really? I was full of relief and joy. "You won't regret it; Nessie is going to be so happy to have us both."

I wanted to talk to him more but he just grunted, before returning back to the house. It was amazing, though. Nahuel was more willing to put up with me than I thought. I guess he truly loved Nessie, enough to tolerate me, as much as he seemed to dislike the idea. I think I needed to try harder with him. Or else I suppose I would be gone. And I don't even want to think about what I would do then.

"Jake, there you are," Nessie said while bouncing up to me as I emerged from the woods soon after Nahuel. I saw that he had gone off with his sister into the Doc and Esme's house. Jennifer was probably tired after her journey.

"Hey, sweetheart. What's up?"

"Where were you and Nahuel just now?" she asked me.

"I just had to talk to him in private, but we're good. Did you need me?"

"Mmmm, Jake. I definitely need you. I want you right now," she smirked, eyes half closed, while tugging on my arm, and I gulped. "Come on. Let's go to bed."

"Huh?" If she wasn't with Nahuel those would be the sweetest words on the planet.

Damn-it! Why was I even thinking like that? I'm not what she wants. She's with Nahuel. What was wrong with me, and our Imprinting? Was it screwed up because Nessie wasn't fully human? Could that be why I was so confused right now?

Embry was able to be Colleen's friend, and was fine with their relationship, until she panicked and changed the rules the night before her wedding. But the same wasn't true with me, Nessie, and Nahuel. I needed to stop thinking about her like that. I was her friend and protector. Nothing more

"It's after midnight. I'm tired and want to go to sleep. Did you want to stay up longer?"

"Oh, no," I chuckled, rather uncomfortably, trying in vain to hide my true feelings. I hope she didn't notice. She didn't think of me like that. I needed to get a handle on my emotions. "Come on, I'll race you," I jeered over to her, but before I could even finish she had already taken off.

The next night Nahuel and Nessie were gone on another one of their dates. Not having anything better to do I had decided to camp out on the living room couch to wait for their return, and was in the middle of doodling out what I hoped to become a new carving I was planning on making for Nessie.

"Hey Jake," Bella said as she wandered over to me.

"Hey Bells, where's your other half?" It had been so long since the two of us just hung out. Before her and Edwards second honeymoon, we would get together during Nessie's piano lessons, but most of the time she could usually be found with Edward or Alice, and I would spend the majority of my free time with Nessie. Anytime I wasn't, I usually could be found in the garage with Rose. It was strange, I spent more time with Rosalie now than anyone else in the family, besides Nessie, of course. It was amazing how much had changed in five years.

"He's wrapped in some theoretical discussion with Carlisle. Once the two of them get started it can go on for hours, sometimes days, if neither of them have to go to work or school," she told me.

"Gee, that sounds like fun," I jeered as she sat down next to me. I might be over Bella, so most of the tension was gone between Edward and I, but I still didn't see what she saw in him.

"Jake I wanted to talk to you. I noticed you're sort of in a funk, what's wrong?"

"What are you talking about, Bells? Everything's fine."

"You know I can tell when you're lying to me. Jake, I've never seen you this sad. We were only gone for three months. What the hell happened?"

"I lost her, Bella," I said, slumping my head down on her shoulder.

"No you didn't," she said, to which I just gave her a look showing her how unconvinced I was. "Fine, but weren't you the one that once told me that I needed to date other people besides Edward? That it would be wrong to only kiss one person in my life? That I needed to have at least one more for comparison's sake?" she smirked at me.

"Yeah, but that was only because I thought I was better for you. I was wrong then, but I'm not now. Nessie and I belong together. At least I thought we did. But I've lost her."

"I'm going to tell you this one more time… No! You! Haven't! You need to man up, and start fighting for her," Bells said, while running her fingers through my hair, like she used to do when she was human. It would have felt nice if she wasn't so icy cold. "Jake, have you looked at yourself lately? You look horrible," she chuckled as she grabbed a fistful of my hair and used it to shake my head.

"Hey," I lightly chuckled back, and threw in an elbow to her side, that I knew wouldn't hurt her.

"Was this what I was like when Edward left me?"

"No, you were far worse, trust me."

"Edward said that you've been avoiding Nessie, that even though you're still there physically, you've mentally checked out. According to him, and what he's seen in everyone's minds, he says you barely even touch her anymore, other than holding her while she sleeps."

"He told you that? That's really weird, Bella."

"But is it true?"

"No!... Maybe," I amended. "Okay, yes, but even our handholding stopped after the movie incident when she was thirteen. You know that."

"You cut back after that happened, but as she grew older you gradually went back to how it had been before, when she was little. You may not have realized it, but you did. I saw you. But now… you flinch even when she tries to hold your hand. What's going on? Can't you see how hurt Nessie looks every time you pull away?"

"She does? I never meant to hurt her."

"I know that, but why are you doing it?"

"I don't want to cause problems between her and Nahuel."

"Why not?"

I didn't respond, just gave her a look of disbelief.

"Fine, don't answer me. But you're causing problems between yourself and my daughter, and I can't stand to see either of you upset. Snap out of it Jake. She loves you."

"And I love her, you know that Bells. I'm just so confused. It's like the Imprint is telling me one thing - that she wants to be with me, and I want to be with her, too. But she's not with me, she's with HIM. I shouldn't feel like this. If she wants him, our Imprint I should only let me want to be her friend."

"Well, maybe that's you answer, Jake."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"I'm sure you'll figure it out. Just think about what I said."

I was about to ask her more when I heard Nessie and Nahuel arrive home.

Hmmm. Bella had given me plenty to think about. Why was I distancing myself from Nessie? The Imprint was pulling me to her. I think I just needed to stop fighting and go with it. If Bella was right then going against my instincts was making both of us unhappy. I needed to go back to doing what I felt was right. I needed to touch her again; nothing inappropriate, just a hug here, a peck on the cheek there, a backrub now and then, cuddling on the couch... things we use to do all the time, but that I had been avoiding lately. Things that I needed to start doing again.


	21. Uncomfortable Reality

**The Blue Moon**

* * *

**Year Six, Chapter Twenty-One**

**Uncomfortable Reality**

* * *

Jacob's Point of View

* * *

Nessie and I were currently camped out on the giant couch in the movie room. We were just finishing up an all night movie marathon. It was a couple of days before school was set to start again on the fourteenth of September, and it was our last chance to just hang out like this before classes, tests, homework, and everything else began again.

"Well, I guess that's it," she said with a yawn, as the credits started to roll. "I can't believe we managed to stay awake all night long. Do you want to go to our bedroom or just stay here?" Nessie asked me as she held my left cheek and planted a kiss on my right. I loved her little kisses. I wished I could have more of them but Nahuel was the one who got to _really_ kiss her.

"Whatever you want, honey. Love ya," I said as I settled on placing one of my own on her forehead. I was so glad I had listened to Bella. This was so much better than fighting my natural instincts and the pull of the Imprint. Even if it wasn't exactly what I wanted this was better than nothing. And Nessie and I both seemed a lot happier now.

"I love you too, my Jacob," she beamed while practically jumping on top of me to wrap me in a hug, which I gladly reciprocated. That was when we heard the door to the movie room slam shut. It caused the air to move around and Nahuel's scent hit me a fraction of a second later. The speakers had been very loud, and I was pretty distracted, so I guess I… we missed Nahuel's arrival. He had left, earlier in the day to accompany his sister to the airport. She was headed home after having stayed just over a week; long enough to help celebrate Nessie's birthday party yesterday.

He'd returned just in time to witness our little display of affection. Not that we really did anything or that he had anything to be worried about; he knew I loved Nessie, but would never do anything about it because he was with her now. Everything we did was perfectly innocent, he must have known that.

"Nahuel?" Nessie called, as she got off the couch and raced after him, with me following after her. I hoped I hadn't ruined or even strained things between them. I couldn't hurt her like that.

Nahuel didn't stop though, he kept running and running through the woods, behind the house, banging into and knocking over several trees along the way. If I was in my Wolf form I could have easily caught up to him and stopped him earlier, but I didn't want to leave Nessie's side. After around thirty miles he finally stopped. I guess he was tired, or realized Nessie wasn't going to give up chasing after him.

"RENESMEE," Nahuel screamed, "I CAN'T TAKE THIS ANYMORE! I cannot be in a relationship with you AND him!" he screeched, pointing at me. "I can't stand being the other man anymore. I don't want to share you. Your _lapdog_ might be brainwashed into thinking that this is acceptable, but I do not!"

I could care less about what he said about me, but even if he was currently only screaming, I still stepped protectively in front of Nessie; I didn't want this turning violent. He loved her, but I didn't want her to accidentally get hurt - physically or emotionally.

"Hey, I thought you loved Nessie? Why are you so selfish? It's not always about what you want; sometimes you have to make sacrifices for the one you love." Boy did I know that. "Don't you care about her?" I didn't give him a chance to answer. "Of course not! You only care about yourself," I snorted. "How did Edward ever convince me that you had really changed? I should have known better."

He growled and charged at me. Really? He wanted to fight?

I was standing too close to Nessie and couldn't risk phasing, not yet. But after taking the hit, when his body slammed into my, I was thrown far enough away, once I was clear enough from my angel that I wouldn't accidentally hurt her, I erupted into my Wolf form. It felt like a couple ribs were bruised, but nothing broke.

Unlike Nessie, who had practice play fighting with me, Nahuel did not, and was no match for me. I easily had him pinned underneath my front paws in under a minute.

While I would have really liked to take a nice chunk out of him, Nessie wouldn't like it, so I settled for scaring him, getting right in his face and snarling. I could tell I got to him when the goose bumps didn't fade from his skin with the addition of my hot breath on it.

"STOP IT! Both of you," Nessie yelled, running to the small space between us and pushing me off of him.

Damn-it! I screwed up again. After forcing myself to calm down I phased back. Us fighting, my yelling at him, blaming him, was not going to help things. Or convince him to not get Nessie to kick me out.

This was all my fault. Bella was wrong before. I should have continued to keep my distance from Nessie.

It was probably a lot for him to take in. Even though Nessie and I were back to being close, hugging, touching, kissing, whenever Nahuel was around I tried to back away from her, giving the two of them their space and time together. Today was one of the few times he had seen us together, just interacting as the good friends we were. Okay so maybe slightly _more_ than good friends. But what did he expect? She was my Imprint, and even if I wasn't holding back completely anymore, it was still innocent and platonic.

"Look," I sighed, "I'm sorry about what you saw back there between Nessie and me, but we can make this work. You just have to get used to it. I know it's different but it could still…"

_JACOB STOP! _Nessie practically screamed to me with her gift. _If Nahuel doesn't want the three of us to be a couple anymore then that's his choice. We need to respect it. _

What? Was that it? I lost her? "Nessie, please!" I begged, as I turned to look at her. I just needed one more chance. I could make this work.

_If he wants to leave then that's his choice. We shouldn't stop him, _she continued.

Wait, if HE wants to leave? Not me? She was letting him go? Was she serious?

"Nahuel, I'm sorry. I thought this would work-" she began dryly before he cut her off.

"I'm DONE trying to make this work. I'm sorry. I realize that you were upfront with me regarding the two of you, but I just cannot do it anymore. Just the thought of it is more than I can tolerate. It's one thing to know something, but it is another to have it shoved in my face," he said, pointed at me again.

"Nahuel, I'm sorry. I never meant to upset you but I'm Jake's Imprint. This is the way it has to be with us," Nessie shrugged. "I love him, and he loves me. That's never going to change. If you can't deal with that then I don't see us having a future together."

"I need to think about some things… take a break from us for awhile," Nahuel said, calming down. Well at least he stopped yelling, anyway.

"Um, alright," she sighed. "If that's how you feel. I'm sorry about all of this. I know you've been through so much. And you changed so much, giving up blood and um... _women, _moving here, away from your family just to be with me. I never meant to hurt you," she said as she attempted to grab his arm.

"Yes, well," he flung her hand off of him, "I have a lot of thinking to do. I need some time alone, excuse me," Nahuel said as he ran off, somewhere.

Nessie then turned to me. I could tell she was upset and annoyed. Her relationship with Nahuel was left up in the air. And it was my fault. She was probably pissed. At me.

"Jacob, I… Um…" She grabbed my hand and an image of the two of us cuddled in bed together appeared in my head.

She wants to sleep? Now? I guess that made sense, sort of. We had just stayed up all night watching movies. She was probably exhausted.

"Are you sure, honey? Don't you want to talk about what just happened, first?"

"No. I want you... I need you…" she was looking at me, seemingly searching for something, but I didn't have any answers, not on how to get Nahuel back for her, if that was it. She must have realized that because she huffed. "I just need you to hold me. Please." She looked so... sad? No. What was it? Frustrated? Yes. Exasperated? Maybe.

Whatever it was, she was pleading with me. I knew this must have been traumatic for her; Nahuel practically breaking up with her. Breaking her heart. She needed to be comforted.

"Alright sweetheart. Let's go to bed," I said as we ran back home.

"Everything alright?" Bella asked her daughter, once we got there. Edward would have known what had happened, at least what Nahuel had seen when he walked into the movie room, and sent his wife to check on Nessie.

"I'll tell you about it later," Nessie shook her head. "I need to…" she pointed to our bedroom, "first."

That seemed to satisfy Bella for now. She didn't press Nessie further, but glanced my way and gave me the strangest look. "Put some clothes on Jake."

Huh? Oh, right. They got shredded in the woods when I phased and I was just in my shorts.

When Nessie and I entered our bedroom I threw on a shirt and we crawled into bed. Taking my angel in my arms I relaxed as I held her tightly to me. As we cuddled under the sheets I drifted off to sleep just after her, dreaming of a different future between the two of us; one where I was the one who got to kiss her, who got to hold her, and love her the way she deserved. I know I did that at night, when she went to sleep, but it was different. That was what I was doing now; keeping her nightmares away. I wanted more. I wanted to love her the way she deserved to be loved. The way Nahuel was throwing away his chance to be with her.

What was wrong with him? I couldn't see how putting up with me was somehow too much, when in return he got Nessie. Didn't he understand how much he was getting? Was I so much of a negative that I outweighed such a positive as Renesmee to him? What was wrong with him? Clearly he didn't deserve her.

But if he was what she wanted I would need to find a way to fix this. But not right now. I needed to take care of her right now.

* * *

Renesmee's Point of View

* * *

"Jacob?" No answer.

"Jake are you awake?" Still no answer.

We had only gotten into bed a few minutes ago. I had calmed down and was ready to talk about what just happened with Nahuel. Had he really fallen asleep already?

As I listened I heard a light snore emanated from his chest.

I guess so.

Humph!

* * *

Jacob's Point of View

* * *

I walked into the reading room to see Nessie crying on Bella's lap, hiding her face in her mother's hair like she had done when she was just a baby.

"How did this happen? I thought my plan was working. I came so close to getting what I really wanted and then poof... one little screw-up and everything's ruined," she cried. "Oh, Jacob, I didn't see you there," she sniffled. She immediately tried to fix her hair and make herself look more presentable, but there was no need, she always look like an angel to me and it was my fault she was like this, anyway.

"Oh, um, I was just looking for my journal, but I can come back later." I had started keeping one a couple of years ago. Edward had gotten one for me for my eighteenth birthday. It was the last one I had celebrated since moving in with the Cullen's. Nessie gave me a gift every year but the rest of them didn't seem to celebrate birthdays for anyone except her. I didn't mind. It wasn't like I was getting older. But I did think the journal was a good idea.

I had seen the stack Edward kept for himself, but couldn't understand why he bothered. Vampires didn't forget anything, their minds were like their bodies, frozen and unchanging. Once knowledge entered it was never going to be released. I didn't have a Vampire brain, with perfect recall and memory, and I didn't want to forget things about my life. I actually needed a way to remember things. One hundred years from now who knows what I would remember. Would I recall anything of my human, pre-Wolf life? My mom and dad, my sisters, my life in Forks, my Pack? Or Nessie as a baby, a little girl, any of her life growing up? Would I remember anything? Writing it down seemed as good of an idea as any.

"I think I saw it in the bedside drawer," she replied.

"Thanks. Can I… um, can I do anything, honey?" I hated seeing her so upset, especially when it was all my fault.

See just shook her head. I could feel how she just needed her mother right now so I left and checked my bedside table drawer, like she suggested – nothing. I didn't think I had put it in hers, but I guess it was worth a look. I saw a few sheets of paper that I moved aside and looked underneath. Besides a few trinkets: some hair ties, a few pens, the odd pink bouncy ball, and some other random items, the drawer was empty. No journal. As I was about to put the papers back I spotted Nahuel's name scrawled across the top of one. What was this?

The first line said "Nahuel – Pro". Was Nessie trying to decide if she should continue her relationship with him when he returned? I probably shouldn't read it but I couldn't help myself. As I looked over the sheet I was dismayed by what I saw.

It was indeed a Nahuel Pro/Con list.

* * *

**Nahuel – Pro**

He helped save me from the Volturi, even though he didn't know me - shows selflessness

He's the same half Vampire species as me,the only other one on the planet & gave up women

**X**He's trying hard to**X** Change**d** his diet after 150 years

Good looking

Smell isn't offensive

Moved to be with me

Getting better at chess (for me)

His sister is nice

**Nahuel – Con**

**Aunt** Lives in South America

**X**Horrible at chess**X**

**Sometimes doesn't X**Never seems to**X** think too far into the future

Previously hunted humans

**X**Struggles with vegetarian diet - occasionally still slips**X**

**X**I don't know him that well**X**

**X**_Only 5'7"?__?_**X **_(I don't care)_

Uncomfortable/uninterested in most modern technology

_Past experiences with thousands of women_

_**Possessive**__ and Arrogant_

**Not Sure a Pro or Con?**_  
150 years older than me_

* * *

From the look of it I could tell she had made some alterations since she first made the list. Things were written in a few different pens, some things were crossed out, others were squeezed in, and some lines were added altogether. But what really bothered me the most wasn't that his Con's list seemed to have shrunk and his Pros list had grown to twice its original size. It was the fact that he had been with thousands of women. I had never bothered to do the math, but now that I thought of it, I guess it made sense. And Nessie seemed to be willing to put up with it, or at least overlook it. I guess it was in his past but it was still just gross. I also wasn't too happy that she felt the need to write that she thought he was possessive.

"Did you find your journal?" Nessie asked from the doorway. She looked better. I guess her talk with Bella helped.

My body was blocking her view so I knew she couldn't see her list in my hands.

"Um, no Nessie-" I started to say while trying to place the papers back in her drawer, but she was at my side in a fraction of a second and saw them still in my hands.

"I'm sorry; I didn't mean to read this. I was just looking for my jou-" I tried immediately to apologize.

"Don't be silly, Jake," she said, cutting me off. "I don't want to have any secrets from you. You can read it."

"Sure, sure," I mumbled as I put the list back in the drawer. "I should keep looking for my journal."

"Well, let me help you look," she said.

We, well, she rather, ended up finding it tucked between one of the couch cushions in the living room. But all the while I was looking for it I couldn't help but think of the list she made and what it could mean. There wasn't a lot I could do about some things, besides maybe have a chat with Nahuel later, when he came back regarding his _Possessive and Arrogant_ behavior.

But that part on Nessie's list about Nahuel's smell not being _Offensive_, did that mean that she thought mine was? Nessie didn't like the way I smelt? I knew her family couldn't stand the way I or any of the other Wolves _stank_, but I didn't know Nessie had a problem with it. She never said anything. And I loved the way she smelled. What was I going to do? She obviously wanted to stay with me, but I needed to make things easier on her. I was going fix things, at least as much as I could.

Nessie went back to the reading room to give me some space so I could write in my now found journal, but that could wait until later. For now I started washing the bed sheets and pillows, and would keep doing so every day. Then while the machine was running I ran to the store. I knew I couldn't change my natural Wolfy smell, but I guess I could try to cover it up a bit. I grabbed the strongest smelling body washes, shampoos, lotions, and colognes I could find. How many times a day would I need to shower though? Once in the morning, another before bed and maybe another two or three during the day seemed like it would be a good start. I would have to keep an eye on her more closely and see if I could pick up any discomfort, to my smell, on her part. I hadn't noticed any before, but I wasn't actually looking.

When I returned home I switched the wash to the dryer before showering and applying a generous layer of lotion and cologne.

After a quick entry in my journal, the dryer dinged and I remade the bed, trying to touch the sheets as little as possible. Hmmm, maybe I should have gotten rubber gloves. I didn't want to re-infect the fabric. Of course that would happen eventually anyway when we went to sleep tonight.

"Renesmee, I thought you were going to talk to Jacob!" I heard Edward call to her from somewhere in the house as I opened the windows to air out the room.

What was his problem now? I was doing the best I could. Maybe if he had told me earlier Nessie was bothered by my scent I could have done something about it years ago.

"I did, dad," she called back.

"Clearly you didn't. Go fix this NOW. He's in your room. Go talk to him and clear this up."

Huh? What was Edward talking about? I guess I was about to find out because a second later Nessie was in front of me.

"Jake, what is that smell?" she grinned, with her hand over her mouth and nose. Did I use too much? Maybe she just didn't like this particular fragrance.

"Oh, um, mostly Axe products. I thought you might like it. But I could get something else if you don't."

"Why? I love your natural scent. I don't need something fake on top of it."

"Nessie you don't need to lie to me. I saw your list, remember? Nahuel's Pro's and Con's. I saw how you wrote that his scent isn't offensive, I may not be as smart as a Vampire but even I could figure out that that had to mean that you think mine is."

"What? Jake didn't you see the other page?" She saw the confusion on my face and retrieved the list out of her nightstand. When she gave them to me, I saw the same page as before - Nahuel's Pros and Cons list, but then she flipped to the page underneath it to reveal her page of Pros and Cons with my name on it. I had one too?

* * *

**Jacob – Pro**

**I love him**

He loves me

He Imprinted on me

He's my soulmate

It's painful when we're apart

He keeps my nightmares away

He helped save me from the Volturi

Saved my "human" mom more than once

Made me a beautiful chess set & **X**is**X **learn**X**ing**Xed** to play, just for me

His "Job" is to protect humans and Me

He already lives with me and my family

We love working on cars together, and doing everything together

He is my perfect hunting partner

He would give his life for me, and I him

We have the same taste in music, movies, sports, books, etc... everything

He is my best friend

He has always been there for me and always will

He is extremely handsome, muscular, & very tall, 6'7"

I loved his Wolf self too

He is always warm

He smells amazing

**Jacob - Con**

He already rejected me once due to my age - Will he ever see me as an adult?

My family doesn't like his scent

He doesn't like their scents

**X**He had a "relationship" with my mother**X** **I'm over it**

Wolves are natural enemies to Vampires

He exists to destroy Vampires

He's a different "species"

**Not Sure a Pro or Con?**

Imprints to create stronger Wolves? Maybe

* * *

"See right there," she said pointing to the appropriate spot on the paper, "it says how I love the way you smell. Well it says that I think your smell is amazing, but you get the idea."

"Oh," was all I was able to mutter while looking over the list. It was longer than Nahuel's, much longer. Especially the Pros list.

"Well, what do you think?" Nessie looked at me expectantly. I didn't know what to say. What did this mean?

"You made a list for me too?" I stupidly asked.

"You're not mad are you?" She looked a bit nervous now.

"No, honey, you know I could never be mad at you. But why did you make them in the first place?"

"I'm sorry, Jake. I just thought making the lists would help me decide between the two of you." I could tell she was nervous to tell me this.

So after everything - my life, my happiness, my world, came down to a few lines written on a piece of paper? And I still lost her?

"But as I made the list," Nessie continued, "I realized that I couldn't make an informed decision without getting to know Nahuel better. That's why, as you know, I wanted to try and date him. But, you also saw how much of a disaster that turned into."

She did want him. And I had ruined it for her. "I'm sorry Renesmee, I should leave. You can be with Nahuel without me getting in the way anymore."

"Jacob, what are you talking about? Why would you think I would ever want you to leave? I love you. The two of us will always be together." As she continued, tears started building in her eyes. "Haven't you been listening to me all these months? Or years rather? I kept telling you, trying to reassure you that we would always be together. I told you that you had nothing to worry about. Don't you remember me telling you that? Over and over."

Her voice was getting louder and louder, as she spoke. As if the louder she talked the more she wanted me to believe her.

"I only began dating him to see if we all could possibly have a future together. Like Colleen, Embry and Henry tried to do. One platonic love, one romantic. But before I figured out if that was something that I really wanted, he got overly attached. Actually I think he became too attached when he changed his diet for me last year, possibly even before that, from the first year he visited me for my birthday. I've realized for awhile now that things were not going to work out between us." Her voice now had a level of agitation that I had never heard in it before. "But every time I thought he was resigned to leave, you talked him back in."

So was it me that she wanted to keep forever and would get rid of Nahuel? Or was she just tired of dealing with all of this hostility between the three of us? Was she just giving up on him or was she really choosing me?

* * *

Renesmee's Point of View

* * *

I needed to take a few breaths and regain my composure. Falling apart now wasn't going to help. When I was ready I began again. "Can you forgive me?" I asked rather nervously.

"Forgive you? Nessie, trying to figure out who you want to spend eternity with is a serious decision. I'm glad that you wanted to take the time to make an informed choice. I would never stand in your way, if it meant that you would be happy. But I'm not sure that this was the best way to go about it," he said waving my list in the air.

"You should want to be with someone you enjoy spending time with," he continued, "someone you have a lot in common with. It should be someone who makes you happy, and who you make happy; the person who cheers you up when you're feeling sad. They're someone you respect and trust and who feels the same about you. You should want to spend your life, or existence, with the person you love, Nessie. Not the one who makes the most sense on a piece of paper."

"But Jacob, don't you see, both of those people are you. I love you. I enjoy spending all of my time with you, I never want you to be away from me. We have everything in common, because you're my soulmate. You make me completely happy and have always been the one to cheer me up. Always! I do respect you, more than anyone, even my parents, and I trust you with my life, and you know that. I love you so much my Jacob. Here, just look at the list. It was the first thing I wrote under your name."

"Really? But Nahuel? Don't you love him?"

"It's not even a question of if I love him or not. He can't live with both of us, so it doesn't matter," I chuckled dryly. "Actually, now though, I'm more than a little confused and irritated. Jake, why did you keep trying to get him to change his mind all the time? He was so against the three of us being together, but he kept telling me how you would continually try to get him to alter his decision and give us one more try, and you did it again right before he left me yesterday. Why?" I was pissed now. I don't think I have ever been mad at him before, ever. No, I wasn't really now either, but I was confused.

"I just thought it was what you wanted. I just want you to be happy Nessie."

Did Jacob want Nahuel and I to be together, after all? But didn't he want me? My father said Jacob had some things mixed up. Was this it?

"Jacob was my dad right when he said you had things backwards."

"I guess so. I'm sorry Nessie. I should have just come and talked to you."

"Oh." He doesn't want me. I guess his Imprinting on a half-Vampire really was different.

"Renesmee? Why are you crying?" He really had to ask? I guess I can't force him to love me like I love him though.

"I'm sorry. I just thought... and someday we would... but I was wrong."

"Huh? Nessie you lost me. Take a few breaths. Calm down and just tell me what it is you want. You know you can talk to me about anything. You know I love you right?"

"I love you too. Just not in the way that you love me, it seems."

"Nessie, what are you talking about? You know I love you more than anyone on the planet, you're my Soulmate."

"What do you mean, Jake? Don't you want me to be with Nahuel? Don't you just want to stay being my friend and protector?"

"Only if that's what you want, but I thought _**I **_made it clear to _**you**_ over the years that when you were older and ready, I would love to be with you romantically... if that was also what you wanted."

"Really Jacob? I wasn't sure if you were just humoring me at the time, or something." Of course he still had to throw in that bit about still waiting until I was older. Was he really still not ready for me yet?

"Nothing would make me happier honey." He smiled for the first time since we began talking and I returned it with my own. I was so happy, even if I still had to wait a while for him to be ready. Just knowing that we would be together someday filled me with joy.

"So, what are we going to do now?"

"I'm not sure. I think you need to have a conversation with Nahuel," Jake said to me. And he was right. I technically was still with Nahuel, sort of. He wanted to take a break, but I assumed he would be back to let me know of his decision. I needed him to make a complete break with me before I could be with Jake anyway. It wouldn't be right otherwise.

"I know, I'll talk with him as soon as he returns. And then, someday," I acquiesced, "we can be together. Right?"

"Yeah, honey. Someday."

"Okay," I sighed. "Um, Jake… would you mind taking another shower and washing that stuff off of you?" I asked with a smirk. I didn't want to upset my Jacob anymore than he already was, but luckily he just chuckled before heading off to the bathroom.

* * *

A.N. - This site is limiting on formatting options, so if it wasn't clear when yu read Nessie's lists - the parts she crossed out were bookended with an **X**

and the additions are in** bold.**

Thanks for reading. Please review.


	22. Oops!

**The Blue Moon**

* * *

**Year Six, Chapter Twenty-Two**

**Oops!**

* * *

Renesmee's Point of View

* * *

It was mid October. School had been back in session for a month. Yet, five weeks after he left, there still was no word from Nahuel.

He made no move to contact me. He was gone and apparently not coming back. I guess we were through. He left me. He had said he just needed some time, but that time had long past. If he didn't feel the need to formally end things then I assumed I was free to move on.

My family knew he was close by though. He hadn't returned to South America with his Aunt, and her mate, Roberto, like we originally thought when no one heard from him for over a week.

But Uncle Jasper had found out he had been using the family credit card, Aunt Alice had given him, to rent a room at a motel a couple of towns away.

My father became very uneasy upon hearing of the rundown nature of the motel, mumbling something to my mother, about him hoping Nahuel wasn't reverting back to his old ways, whatever that meant. I just wished Nahuel had felt comfortable enough to pick a better accommodation. I didn't want him living somewhere that was unpleasant, or make things uncomfortable for him. It was partially my fault for his current living conditions, and it is not like my family couldn't have afforded a nice hotel room for him.

At least my family was all back together. Uncle Emmett and Aunt Rose return last month, right before the first class of the school year started.

I was so glad they were back. Aunt Rose was just the person I needed to talk to about Jake. I loved him so much and wanted to be with him on a deeper level. But nothing was happening between us.

Aunt Rose suggested I take some initiative and try to start something with him, myself. She said that guys are just dense sometimes. She knew Jacob loved me and might just need a little push in the right direction to get things started.

"Try being_ playful_ and _suggestive_," that was her advice to me. "Just nothing too direct." She had a point; I didn't want to scare him away. I would try her idea the next chance I got.

I just hope I wasn't rushing him. He couldn't really still think I was too young, could he? He knew how I felt about him, that I loved and wanted him. And he said he loved me too. I don't see how he could be confused about anything this time, not that I completely understood what he was mistaken about last time.

* * *

Jacob's Point of View

* * *

"What's that Jake?" Nessie pointing to the piece of wood I was currently carving. I was sitting under a tree, not far from the back door of the house when she found me.

"Oh this, nothing." Well nothing I wanted to show her, yet. It was for her, but I had just started working on it and didn't want her to see it until it was done. Or at least much further along.

"Can I see it?" she asked as she yanked it out of my hand. Someone was in a playful mood. I loved this fun carefree side of her, it rarely came out though.

"Hey, give that back," I chuckled as I got up and unsuccessfully tried to grab it from her. Man, she had gotten fast.

"Come and get it then," she called as she took off into the forest.

What was up with her today? I ran in after her, but she was slightly faster than me now, when I wasn't in my Wolf form. After following her scent for a few miles into the woods, I lost her. Where did she go? I couldn't see her anywhere, but her scent seemed to ascend upwards.

Happy to amuse her I continued looking around, not wanting her to know I had found her so I didn't raise my head, but moved in ever wider circles, each pass taking me a little further away from her until I heard laughter coming from high up in one of the trees to my left. "Nessie, what are you doing up there?" I asked finally asked, looking up.

"Playing. Don't you want to play with me?"

Playing? I chuckled to myself, we hadn't played hide-n-seek in years. It was nice, I missed it.

"Sure honey, I'd love to play with you. But first can I have my wood back?" I called up to her after jogging over to the tree she was hiding on.

"Maybe. Can you find it?" Find it? If she hid it somewhere in the forest, I would never be able to find a specific piece of wood out here.

"Care to give me a hint?"

"Um?" She got that look like she was pretending to think about it, but there was a twinkle in her eye. "It's definitely closer than you think."

Was that why she was up there? To hide it in the tree? Going with that assumption I started climbing up to her. When I was halfway up she leapt down, landing on top of me, knocking us both to the forest floor. Luckily I was only about fifteen feet from the ground at the time, so neither of us was injured by her silly little stunt.

"Congratulations, now you're even closer to your wood than before," she smirked over me.

Huh? Had she put it in one of her pockets? Nessie was wearing a fashionable but completely unnecessary jacket, since she stayed as warm as I did, and some baggy cargo pants that had tons of pockets in them. She could have hidden it in any of them. I was going to have to check them all. In one move I flipped us over, reversing our positions. But as I began searching her jacket pockets, she kept trying to do anything she could to stop me. I was on top of her so she couldn't get up but she managed to grab bits of pinecones, dirt, acorns, sticks, anything she could get her hands on and was throwing them at me while laughing.

"Nessie cut it out. That's not funny," I snickered back.

"Try and stop me," she challenged as she chucked another stick at me before I grabbed her hands with one of mine and pinned them above her head.

Now that I didn't have to duck her projectiles I could concentrate and moved on to searching her pants pockets. She was wiggling around while still smiling and chuckling but I suddenly realized how closely I was touching her... and where.

Oops!

I was straddled on top of her and my hand was down her pants; well her pants pocket, the one nearest to her empty left belt loop, but that was almost just as bad.

I immediately jumped up, off of her. What was I thinking? How could I have done that to her? Of course that was the problem, I wasn't thinking.

If Nessie hadn't been with Nahuel, even if they were on a break right now, this probably would not have been a big deal. It might have even led to something more between us. God knows I would have loved for that to happen. But...

"Jacob, what's wrong?" Nessie asked me, raising herself up on her elbows. She didn't seem upset, as if she didn't even notice how inappropriate my actions were.

"Nothing, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have... um; can I have the piece of wood back now?" I asked, lowering my eyes to the forest floor. I couldn't even look at her. I didn't deserve to.

"Oh," she sighed. "Here you go," Nessie took the wood from somewhere behind her back and handed it to me. I could feel the disappointment emanating off of her. She was right to feel that way; I was disappointed in myself as well. I had pretty much groped her. She deserved to be treated better.

"Nessie, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to -"

"Jacob, it's fine. I'm fine. Let's just go back home," she sighed again, cutting me off, as she got up and ran back to the house.

Damn-it! What was wrong with me?

I needed time to think, so instead of running I slowly walked home.

Perfect! Through the front window I could see Jasper and Edward. But, seeing as Edward hadn't attacked me for what I had just done to his daughter, it meant that he had either suddenly grown exponentially more tolerant, or Bella was nearby and had her shield over him. And since he and Jazz were playing a game of chess, Bella must be around somewhere preventing him from cheating.

At least something was going right for me today.

Jasper let out a sigh as I stepped through the front door, probably sensing whatever emotion I was giving off. I don't know what it was exactly, nothing pleasant though; I was too wound up to tell exactly. Regret, worry, fear, dismay, embarrassment, frustration, all of the above.

"... never going to get it. We need to intervene -" I partially heard Jasper whisper over to Edward as I walked past them, straight into the kitchen, to grab a snack. Maybe some food would help me feel better. Without even thinking I grabbed a bag of chips and turned around to head back into the living room with them.

"What did you have in mind?" Edward murmured back.

Why did they even feel the need to lower their voices? I didn't care about whatever they were talking about, and they knew I could hear them anyway. But it probably made sense if they wanted to keep, whatever it was, a secret from someone else in the family.

"Perhaps we can take a cue from Choderlos de Laclos." Jasper continued. It looked like Edward almost took his head off for whatever Jasper was suggesting. "I was simply referring to the idea of putting obstacles in front of... err... _Danceny_, to get things moving, not all the other stuff," he said while throwing up his hands.

"I think they've already had to deal with enough hindrances. Clearly that didn't work. And did you forget about Valmont?"

"He's gone, that parts over," Jasper waved his hand as if whatever it was they were talking about was obvious. "What about Rosalie's approach with Emmett," Jasper suggested. They were talking about Emmett? "Do we have any large metal objects lying around we can smack him over the head with?" he chuckled to himself while Edward calmed down a bit, just shy of laughing himself.

"I don't think she'd be too happy with us if we did that. Besides I'm not really in a rush for this to happen," Edward responded.

"Time is running out. You know that."

"Which is partially why I'm confused by your suggestion. They don't get together in the end, and I don't see her becoming a nun," Edward said before his expression changed. "Fine. But let's give them one more year first. If they don't figure it out by then I'll tell them."

"How about a little nudge in the meantime?"

"Jasper, don't you dare mess with their emotions," Edward warned.

"Wouldn't dream of it," I saw him smirk back. "But it might come to that if we don't do something."

"Hello Jacob," Jasper said to me after I plopped myself down on the couch, chips in hand, and reached for the TV remote.

"Hey guys. Need something?"

"You're taking French in school, right?" I nodded. "Have you ever read _Les Liaisons Dangereuses_?" Jasper asked me from where they were playing, across the room. The words flew out of his mouth so quickly I almost missed them.

"Jasper!" Edward seemed to throw him a warning look. Why?

"Um, no."

"You should, it's very good. I think there's a copy in the reading room, upstairs. It might help you and improve your disposition."

"Yeah, sure. Maybe later," I huffed, mostly under my breath as I began flipping through the channels. I wasn't in the mood for a reading assignment right now. Nessie had probably read it, she read everything else in the house; I could just ask her to tell me about it. Where was she anyway? She probably only arrived home about fifteen minutes before me, since she ran, but I wasn't sure exactly where she went. "Hey, have you guys seen Nessie?" I called from the couch.

"She seemed upset when she came home, so Alice and Bella took her shopping with them, as soon as she walked through the door," Jasper answered back.

"What? Bella's not here?" I questioned, suddenly alarmed. Did Edward know? Of course he did, I was just thinking about what I had done. Stupid! But he wasn't attacking me. Yet.

"Nope," Edward said. "Alice had a vision that, for _some_ reason, a lot of the furniture and decorations in this room suddenly needed to be replaced. You wouldn't know why, would you Jacob?" Edward grinned towards me.

Crap! Why did Nessie have to make me promise not to hit him ever again? Did that include defending myself?

"Jacob why don't you go upstairs and start reading that book," suggested Jasper. "And perhaps it might be best if you don't come back down until you're done."

I ran up the stairs as he suggested. Jasper must have been using his gift to calm Edward down. But that would not last forever. Sooner or later I would need to deal with Edward. But I wanted it to be later, after he had cooled down on his own, without Jaspers supernatural help. I would have to wait until Bella and Nessie came back hoping Bella could reason with him. I knew I could take him, but I promised Nessie I wouldn't fight him ever again and I needed to keep my word. She trusted me and I didn't want to upset or hurt her.

* * *

I watched in horror as Seth fell. He was gone. I was all alone, now. The last Wolf standing. Edward had taken him and everyone else from me. Leah, Quil, Embry... everyone. My entire Pack was all gone, not to mention Sam, Paul and Jared.

Edward's family was all there; he hadn't lost anyone. Even Nessie was over on his side now. Thanks to my stupidity I had lost her too. I was alone.

Sure, I had a few pawns left, but the chess game was pretty much over. How had this happened? How did I lose so badly? And so quickly?

And where did the Nessie chess piece even come from? She had been carved into the king piece, of sorts, for the chess set I made. But I didn't make that piece. Also Bella and Edward were now joined together as a unified queen piece. I had chosen to play using the Wolf set, naturally, but had lost all of my pieces way too easily.

Well, Edward could read my mind. He knew what I would do. Bella wasn't here to shield my thoughts. They were a mess anyway, all I could think about was how I screwed up with Nessie.

"So what are you going to do? Are you really going to still try and go for the CheckMATE?" he said, stressing the _last _part of the word.

"Edward, I'm sorry -" I tried apologizing again, but he cut me off as if he didn't even hear me.

"Or are you finally going to lie down like the dog you are, and give up? Like you should have done long ago?"

He slammed his hand down on the table and the large banging sound suddenly jerked me up. I was covered in sweat and breathing heavy.

I wasn't in the living room anymore. As I confusedly looked around I realized that I was in bed, in my room. It was just a dream. Nessie was curled up beside me as always. My nightmare hadn't woken her.

Tap, tap, tap.

Looking over to where the tiny noise was coming from, I saw Edward standing in the doorway. Really, he wanted to do this now? I guess I did have it coming.

I was suppose to defend Nessie and I didn't, If he killed me now, I knew I had it coming. I had five wonderful years with her; that was clearly more than I deserved.

Nessie was sleeping so peacefully, I didn't want to wake her. And I didn't want her to see this. After kissing her on the forehead, I got out of bed as smoothly and quietly as I could, and followed Edward.

I deserved whatever I had coming from him. Bella had rightfully punched me years ago, before she became a Vampire, when I tried to kiss her, and this was so much worse. I had practically molested Nessie yesterday in the woods, but for some reason she hadn't even complained or objected to what I did. Why hadn't she? Didn't she realize that what I had done was completely inappropriate?

But it wasn't like I was just going to stand there if Edward tried to kill me though, not that there was much I could do, since Nessie made it clear she didn't want me fighting him, and I could never hurt her by hurting her father, again. Not that I actually hurt him the last time I hit him.

Where did that leave me? Ducking, evading, and running, I guess. It wasn't like he was going to get tired of beating me if I was unsuccessful in evading him, not that I particularly enjoyed the idea of hiding. It seemed so cowardly, but what else could I do? I couldn't kill him, I wouldn't even fight him. That would hurt Nessie more.

Of course he would do this now; Bella and Alice left again, and took Esme and Jasper with them, this time for at least a few days to search for more furniture. The Doc was at the hospital, and Emmett and Rose were off hunting. There was no one here to stop him. I should have known. And I should have talked to him earlier, when some of the family was still here, but I foolishly thought it would be better to wait until he calmed down another day. It seemed like a good idea at the time.

I thought he would have kept walking out into the woods, give him more room to attack, but he surprised me by sitting down on the living room couch. What was he up to?

"I'm sorry Jacob, I was just joking with you yesterday, Alice just wants to redecorate in here."

What?

"I didn't have you come out here to fight. I just want to talk to you in private. Since Renesmee is asleep it seemed like a good time. And I need to clear some things up." He grew quiet for a moment and it looked like he was thinking about what he wanted to say next.

"I'm sorry if I've given you the wrong impression, over the past few years. I think you and my daughter would make each other very happy together. And all I want is Renesmee's happiness. She's not a child anymore, I know that, and I know that you know that too."

"So you're not upset about what I did to her in the woods?" I couldn't believe that would be true.

"Jacob, I think you're making a bigger deal out of it than you need to. You didn't actually do anything, after all. Nothing really happened. And even if something did happen, I would not kill you over it. Well I might be unhappy with you if it transpired in the woods, and where I could hear you both," he winced, "but I know you would never hurt her."

It was still wrong, even if nothing happened. She's with Nahuel. She's dating him, not me.

"Jacob, she's not with him anymore," Edward responded to my thoughts.

"They're just on a break." He'll be back, eventually. It wouldn't be right to start anything until they officially end things… if they did. (I won't repeat the mistakes I made with Bella.) Then and only then, after she has mentally and emotionally moved on and Nessie decides if and when she is ready for me, can I even begin to think about doing something.

"Jacob, have you ever thought about getting out of your own way?" Edward huffed at me before disappearing, off to wherever he went, on the few times Bella wasn't here.

Huh? Why was he always being so cryptic with me?

* * *

.

* * *

A.N. - Okay, i happen to think this chapter is hilarious. Please let me know if you do too or not (and review).\

Thanks for reading.


	23. Found Bodies

**The Blue Moon**

* * *

**Year Six, Chapter Twenty-Three**

**Found Bodies**

* * *

Jacob's Point of View

* * *

The new bracelet I was making Nessie was almost done; I was just heading out to the front yard to put the finishing touches on it. While this bracelet was circular to go around her wrist it was similar in concept to the bookmark I carved her years ago. And it wasn't quite as thin as the bookmark, which Nessie had somehow managed to not break even after all these years. Last I saw it was in a copy of The Great Gatsby, on her nightstand, so she could read before bed. The bracelet was strong and sturdy yet still looked delicate looking and lacy. And just like with the bookmark, I carved another Quileute saying into it. Having learned the language when she stayed with Billy and me when she was younger, she would be able to read it herself, instead of me having to translate it for her.

"It was just the one body, from what I could determine," I heard Carlisle tell someone inside his house.

"And you were able to positively identify it as one of our kind's handiwork?" Edward asked.

There had been a Vampire attack? Nearby?

"Jacob, why don't you join us," Edward called. "You should hear this too."

"What's going on?" I asked as I entered the Doc's living room. Half of the Cullens were there.

"As you know I'm in the middle of my medical internship," the Doc started to explain, to catch me up. "Today, I was in class at the local hospital, they were teaching us how to dissect bodies, and determine causes of death, on said bodies that had been donated for student use."

"One of the bodies had the faint aroma of venom in her system. The body had been drained of blood and the bite marks had been cut away to appear as various other types of wounds." Edward continued after hearing my thoughts, wondering why Carlisle was telling us how he _learned_ things he had known for at least a hundred years.

"There was more than one?" I asked. "Why would a Vampire need to bite someone more than once?"

"That's not something that can be ascertained simply by an examination of the remains. Her body had also been severely beaten. Some of our kind is more sadistic than others. I'm afraid there are many that enjoy playing with their food," the Doc responded.

I felt like I was going to be sick. It isn't enough to kill someone; you have to torture them, too?

"Who would have done this? Anyone we know?" Emmett asked.

It better not be.

"Unfortunately I wasn't able to determine who was behind this. Bodies that are donated are normally rigorously cleaned before given to students to work on. I was unable to detect any lingering scent of the Vampire who was responsible. And all of the body's paperwork seemed to be in order. Whoever did this knew exactly what they were doing."

"Do you think they knew you were working there, that _you_ would discover the body?" Jasper wondered.

"I doubt it. Everything about the young woman's appearance made it appear that whoever did this had no intention of the body being discovered, ever. It would have been the perfect way to cover their tracks, had I not been there."

"We should ask Alice if she can see anything that might help, when she returns," Jasper added.

Today was too sunny for anyone in the family to go to school, (and Nessie and I had the day off anyway) so Alice decided to take Nessie, Bella, Esme, and Rose with her on a road trip down to Boston where she had seen that it was cloudy, and go shopping for more new clothes.

When the ladies finally returned late that evening Alice had already seen what we were going to ask her but didn't have any answers either.

"I'll start to check the hospital daily to see if any more bodies show up," the Doc offered.

"Jacob, I think it is best for the time being if one of us went with you and Nessie when she hunted. Just to be on the safe side, for now at least," Edward suggested and I completely agreed. I knew I could protect Nessie but I didn't want to take any chances.

"Guys, aren't you overreacting just a bit? It was just one body after all." Nessie didn't seem to be as concerned as everyone else. But we were dealing with an unknown body and mystery Vampire – which Alice couldn't see. That was enough to concern me.

"You're right Renesmee, it may be nothing. It may be just a nomad passing through. But the sophisticated nature with which they chose to dispose of the body and the rough handling of it before consumption worries me. It leads me to believe that we could be dealing with someone who might have been in the area for some time and has gone undetected for awhile."

"Or it could indeed be a nomad, and this is how they always get rid of their meals," Esme offered. I couldn't believe what I was hearing from her. She was the most loving, motherly one in the house. How could she be so callous about such a thing?

"Victim! She was a Human Victim who was murdered, not just a meal," I seethed. I had gotten so used to living with the Cullen's over the years; sometimes it was easy to forget I lived in a house full of Vampires. They seemed so normal sometimes, well if you didn't count the smell. But all of this talk, the casualness with which they were referring to the dead girl, as nothing more than clumsily disposed of trash or something that might inconvenience them, was too much.

"Jacob, no one has forgotten that a woman has died," Edward tried to reassure me.

A slight growl escaped my throat before Nessie grabbed my hand to calm me down.

"Well, putting aside the dead woman for a moment," Bella began casually, looking over at me, when I gave no reaction, (Nessie, still holding my hand, was a wonderful calming influence, and Jasper was probably working on me as well) she continued, "I don't see what the big deal is. Whoever is doing this is not drawing attention to themselves. So the Vo -" Bella managed to stop herself before saying the Volturi, knowing how upset Nessie would get, "there's no need for concern."

"Right now we don't have enough to go on. Bella's right, it could be nothing," Jasper added. "We'll have to wait and see what happens next. Alice, can you try again? See if you can find anything unusual happening in the near future."

"Hmmm," Alice hummed as her eyes glazed over for a few seconds before returning to normal. "I still don't see anything, but I'll keep looking. For now I think we should continue going to school and live life fairly normally."

"Agreed," Carlisle, Edward and Rose said in unison. I wonder how often this happened that they were in such sync like that. Well, I guess after a century that would tend to happen.

Once everything was settled, sort of, since there was little we could actually do right now, Edward turned his attention to the pile of bags the ladies had dropped by the front door when they first got back.

"It seems shopping was a success," he rolled his eyes, casually.

"It certainly was!" Alice agreed. "We went up and down Newbury Street to all the fine clothing stores and even a few art galleries. The clothes we got are amazing! I can't wait to see everyone in your new outfits!"

"I'm glad you enjoyed your day," I heard Carlisle say to his wife.

"Next time we drive to Massachusetts you'll have to come with me; we can go visit your town," she replied before giving him a kiss.

"You own an entire town?" I asked in disbelief. Wasn't having an entire island enough?

"No of course not," he chuckled. "We just share a name."

"Don't listen to him, he's just being modest," Esme replied. "It's named after him."

"I'm sure it's a lot larger than the last time I was there. It wasn't more than a settlement when I nursed a few families back to health. I never asked them to, but they wanted to show their appreciation somehow and ended up naming the town after me." On anyone else I would have thought it was false modesty, but with the Doc he was really just that humble.

"So should we be afraid to ask what is in that box? It doesn't look like a shopping bag." Emmett then questioned Alice, eyeing the large box that was slightly obscured by a dozen shopping bags.

"I told you we went to some art galleries," Alice said. "We found this one painter's artwork that was just spectacular. Her name is L. Lowe. And guess what?" she squealed. "She lives in Washington. Actually less than an hour's drive from where we used to live, in Hoodsport. She was there all that time and we never even knew about her. We'll have to look her up if we ever go back."

_If?_ I scowled to myself. What did that mean? Wasn't Washington our home? As in - our real home?

"Don't tell me you bought more art." Jasper seemed upset. I'd never actually seen him angry at Alice before, not that he was now, but this was closer than I had ever seen. I knew she had a problem buying clothes, but art too? Really?

Was it another thing for the living room? I thought she finished redecorating our house last week.

"Hey, don't look at me," Alice smiled, raising her hands up and backing away from the offensive package. "It was Esme this time."

"Yes, and I bought it because it's a wonderful piece that we ALL fell in love with."

"It is a beautiful painting and there's a lovely poem scratched into the surface," Bella added.

She liked it too?

"And the mathematical equations written on the surface next to the painted image are actually correct. Figuring out the circumference and convex properties of the bowl she painted is not that hard, but it is impressive to see a human do it just for a painting," Rosalie added, seemingly genuinely impressed. I knew how good at math she was so the fact that she was impressed by this was really saying something.

"And even putting that all aside, just wait until you see it. It's truly astonishing," Esme added. "I think it will look lovely in the hallway outside our bedroom," she told the Doc.

"And how, may I ask, did you get the gallery to agree to give it to you? Don't galleries normally keep paintings up for the entire length of a show?" Carlisle asked his wife.

"Oh, you guys are so silly," Alice chirped in. "You can get a gallery owner to do whatever you want for the right price."

"And just exactly what was the right price, Alice?" Jasper wondered. Well, maybe not wondered, interrogated, was more like it.

"Not a penny more than what was necessary. I assure you. And why does that even matter?" Alice speculated, but more to herself than anyone else. "Its art, which almost always goes up in value, so no matter how much we paid, and I know this one was worth it. You know I handle the finances for the family and I have never made a wrong decision yet. Have I? Don't you trust me? This piece is going to be worth ten times what it is today, in a few decades."

"I thought you said Esme bought it?" Jasper questioned her.

"She did, I just helped."

"Okay, so let's see this piece." I suggested.

As she opened the box, the guys gasped at whatever the ladies had been so impressed at. But it didn't seem that amazing to me. Guess you had to be a Vamp to like it.

That reminded me - there was a bloodsucker, possibly still in the area, that had killed a human, and my mood quickly soured.

* * *

Renesmee's Point of View

* * *

Going to college was so much fun. Not the majority of the classes themselves; they were simplistic and mundane. I mean, I enjoyed learning about engineering with Jacob, everything was fun with him, but I could have learned all of the material taught over the past year and a half on my own in a couple of weeks at home. But this way we got to be together, well we got to spend time together.

_Oh, my Jacob_, I sighed to myself, _when will you be ready for us?_

Hanging out with him at school gave me the opportunity to meet a lot of humans. And there was one class I really was enjoying - the woodworking class Jake and I signed up for this semester. I'm so glad he suggested it as an elective. He's so wonderful.

I had become more and more interested in wood and its possibilities when Jacob first taught me how to carve a simple heart, over a year ago. Since then we had been carving various small things together, at least once a week. I had gotten pretty good, I think. That's what Jake tells me, anyway. I still don't think I was anywhere near as good as him. But everyone in the family seemed to like the various trinkets I gave them.

So far we had gone over the basics in class, beginning with the teacher explaining how to use each machine in the woodshop. Then everyone had to take turns and, one at a time, saw a piece of wood in half by hand, while everyone else watched. That seemed like a complete waste of time, and some people took forever. One girl had to stop halfway through to rest! Jake and I had the opposite problem, having to slow down and not make it look too easy.

Next everyone needed to make a plain rectangular box, with a lid. We used the table saw to cut the wood to size, then used a router to notch out the corners and a floating bottom, and finally attached all the pieces with wood glue and brads. Simple.

There were a handful of other required projects that Jake and I completed easily, but now, finally, we got to make something I had actually been looking forward to. It was the reason we were taking this class as our elective.

The project was to design, cut, and assemble a wooden chair, table, or coat rack.

I decided to make a chair to go with the small table Jake was planning on building. We had the complementary designs all worked out; both being perfect counterparts to each other. A matched set, sort of; together but different, just like us.

When Jake suggested we _elaborately_ carve the table and chair I loved it and immediately began looking for ideas to come up with an appropriate design that would harmonize the two pieces. I had been going through some of Grandma Esme's design and decorating books, along with the art history books my mother and Uncle Jasper brought home from school.

My Uncle seemed bored by school, but that might have been because he had gone through college already, at least six or seven times now. I wasn't there for any of his previous experiences, so I couldn't determine if this was how Uncle Jasper always was, or if he was just not enjoying his Art History class as much as he thought he would.

Nevertheless I found the furniture in their books wonderful. Everything shown was so ornate, especially when compared to the streamlined, more minimalist pieces that seemed to dominate the market today. The family had a few antique pieces here and there, scattered throughout the three houses, but most things we currently had were more modern looking, mass produced stuff Grandma Esme had ordered from a catalog somewhere.

Once the basic table and chair were built, we didn't think there would be any harm in carving them. But when we showed our ideas to the teacher, she seemed skeptical that we would be able to accomplish it. However she told us that she just needed to see the finished table and chair before we started the carvings so she could grade them, then we would be free to do with them as we pleased. She did offer me some suggestions, like not go so deep with my carving in some areas as to not compromise the structural integrity of the supports on the chair. If I did that, it might look nice for awhile but would collapse when someone went to sit in it. After making the needed adjustments to my design I went to work.

A week later my chair was coming along nicely. Of course it paled in comparison to Jake's table which was so beautiful, just like him. And he hadn't even begun to carve it yet!

"Once these are done, how about we work together on making a new king size bed frame for us?"

"Don't you think that's a little... um, large for school, honey?"

"We could just make the head and foot boards; I could take one and you the other? Or how about a twin bed?" If we ever have a child we'll already have something personal for them.

"A twin?" Jake looked at me skeptically. "What would we do with a bed that small?"

"Give it to someone just the right size," I replied.

"Who do we know that tiny? Besides Alice," he chuckled. "I don't think Jasper would appreciate that too much." Then he got serious. "It would need to go to a child, but we don't even know anybody who has kids."

"Yeah, yeah. Good point." I guess Jacob wasn't thinking about the possibility of our own kids, yet. Maybe I should have suggested we carve a crib. Humph! "We can think of something else," I breezed, not wanting to appear too upset, but inside I felt like crumbling.

I didn't know what to do. I love him so much and wanted us to be together romantically. Nahuel was finally gone; I was just waiting for Jake. I tried to be patient, but I knew this was my fault. Clearly I had hurt him more than I realized and now I just had to give him time. He needed it, apparently, and I could give it to him. Lord knows he waited long enough for me. I could wait for him.

I just hope he didn't take too much time, but if I had waited too long, and lost our chance... I don't know. I didn't want to hurt Jacob like that; taking away his only opportunity to have a child if things didn't progressed shortly. I guess I'll have to take matters into my own hands even more.

When Jake and I returned home, after class, we could tell by everyone's attitudes in the house that something was wrong, seriously wrong. What was it?

The first thing that jumped to my mind was that the unknown Vampire, that hid the woman's body among the ones donated to the teaching hospital, had left another body. But that couldn't be it.

Vampires needed to hunt at least once every one to two weeks. Almost four weeks had passed since the body was discovered and no new unexplained bodies had shown up at the morgue or the teaching hospital. No unexplained murders or missing persons were mentioned on the news or in the papers, either. My family had calmed down and began to relax, assuming it must have been a passing nomad. Had we let our guard down too soon?

"No that's not it, Renesmee," my father assured me. But then what was it that had everyone so upset? "It's Nahuel. We believe he's killed a young woman in the area again."

What? No! "He wouldn't do that. He changed. You told me he changed. _He_ told me he changed."

No one had seen or heard from him in months. As far as anyone in the family knew he had been staying at the same motel we first discovered from the credit card charges two months ago.

"That's why we think it was Nahuel, honey. He switched motels but the body was found in the very room registered to him. It's been all over the news," my father responded.

"There has to be some mistake. There's no way Nahuel would ever do that."

"He has in the past. That's how he preferred to have his meals, Nessie. You know that. I told you he was too dangerous and you should have never been with him," Rose growled towards me, her voice getting louder the more she spoke. I knew she was just concerned for me, and the growl wasn't out of anger, and not really directed at me either.

"So this woman was -" Jake growled.

"Yes, just like he used to do," my father answered without actually saying.

"You told me he had changed his ways, PERMANENTLY! I trusted Nessie with him because I believed you. What happened?" Jake demanded of my father.

"I don't know. When Vampires change its permanent. Like you worried back then, since he's only half-Vampire, it apparently wasn't as concrete a change for him as I had thought."

"Gee, you think?" Jacob mocked him. He looked pissed, but he shouldn't be so upset. I'm fine and was never in any danger with Nahuel. He would never do anything like that to me or anyone else, not anymore. I know he truly had changed. There had to be some mistake.

"What does Nahuel have to say about all of this? Did you even ask him?" I asked. My father could just read his mind and know he didn't do this. Then everything would be cleared up.

"We haven't been able to track him down yet. The police are also trying to locate him," my father answered. I could tell he was trying to stay calm, for me. There was no emotion in his voice. "Luckily, the motel he was staying at was so cheap that there were no security cameras that captured his face, so they just have his name to go on. But it seems he was interrupted in the middle of... what he was doing, by a fire at some other part of the building. The authorities only found the woman's body in his room because they were checking on the motel's guests after the fire department finished. According to the News her body was badly beaten and found crumpled on the bed."

"But there was no mention of bite marks or open wounds, so he might not have gotten around to feeding. If that's the case he'll still be hungry and another body may turn up soon," Uncle Jasper added.

Uncle Emmett thought differently though, "Or they could have just left that out of the news report. Its kinda gross, for live TV, you know."

"The police are probably going to turn up here soon, if they trace the credit card account back to the Cullen's." Jake looked like he had calmed down enough that he was no longer in danger of phasing right in the middle of the living room.

"I already took care of it," Uncle Jasper assured everyone. "No one will be linking the card to us." In times like this it was a good thing my family were experts at computers and hiding their tracks. And if there was anything that they were unable to do on their own, that's what we had J. Jenks for.

"But you don't know for certain it was him, do you? It could have been someone else, maybe he let a friend stay with him, or -"

"Renesmee, it's okay," my father gently assured me. "You don't need to worry. Nahuel is a Vampire and most Vampires drink human blood. What he did is nothing that's so horrible that we would need to take action. I can see that you think we might hunt him down and destroy him, for what he's done, but that would be extreme at this point. We just need to find him in order to remind him to do this sort of thing further away from us."

"Alice I know you can't see him, but do you see anything that can help us locate Nahuel?" my mother asked, yet her voice held little signs of hope.

"Hey, is this why we go to France?" Uncle Emmett wondered.

Aunt Alice looked for a few seconds, before coming back to the present. "Nope, this isn't why we leave, I still see us here over the next few months, at least. But I think Nahuel is going to keep using the credit card. I see Jazz checking the statements online; he must still be using it, or at least will be soon."

Jasper disappeared for a second before reappearing with his laptop in hand. A minute later he seemed disappointed. "There's no new activity on the card, yet. But I'll monitor it until we get a hit. We will find him. Don't worry."

* * *

Jacob's Point of View

* * *

Two weeks had past, and there was no word yet on Nahuel. Alice still saw Jasper finding something out by tracking his credit card activity, but nothing had turned up yet. He might have changed his mind about using them, but Alice said her vision hadn't changed. We just needed to be more patient. But where was he living then?

With no additional information and when no new bodies were discovered, the TV News channels and Newspapers seemed to drop the story of the dead woman. And Jasper was right - the police never showed up at our door.

I was worried about how all of this was affecting Nessie. I know she cared for, possibly even still loved him. And he had betrayed her. He left her. And murdered a woman; probably more than one. And then there was what he did to them before he killed them.

Nessie never seemed to want to talk to me about it. She just insisted, over and over again that it wasn't him, that he would not, could not, do something like that anymore. She had such blind faith in him. He didn't deserve her. He didn't deserve her love, trust, or respect. He was a monster just like I thought. Just like I tried to warn her. And Edward. And Bella. Why wouldn't they listen to me? Well they do now, everyone besides the only one who really needed to - my Nessie.

Without even thinking I craned my neck forward and kissed the forehead of my sweet, too-trusting angel, lying on my lap.

Nessie, Edward, and I had the afternoon free and were just relaxing watching some old movie Edward picked. Well they were relaxing, I was worried about what would happen to Nessie when it was proved that Nahuel was responsible for the women's murder. It would crush her. She was such a loving, trusting soul. It was the reason I loved her, the reason I Imprinted on her. But it was also the reason her life was put in danger. And I had been a _willing_ participant, letting her go off with him on their _dates_. Part of me wondered if I needed to concentrate on protecting her more, and try to make her happy less. Was I failing her?

Edward's head then snapped up from the screen. "Finally!" he exclaimed.

What was going on? Before I could ask out loud he was already out the door.

"Come on Jake; let's go see what is going on," Nessie said as she started pulling on my arm. We ran out the door and followed Edward's scent to Nessie's Aunts' and Uncles' house. When we arrived Jasper was hunched over his laptop giving Edward an address.

"Should we bring some firewood or just break up whatever furniture we find there?" we heard Emmett asked before we entered and his face suddenly turned apologetic as he looked at Nessie's hurt expression.

Nahuel must have finally used his credit card and the Cullen's now knew where he was.

"I think that's a bit extreme Emmett," Carlisle rejected his idea. "We need only to talk to him and remind him to hunt at a location further from our own."

"That wasn't the reason behind my suggestion. He left and hurt my Niece's feelings; can't have him getting off too easy."

"You don't need firewood if all you're planning is to rough him up a bit," Edward admonished him while Nessie scowled.

"Uncle Em, don't you dare hurt him." Then she looked at the floor before she spoke again. "I'm actually glad he left me. He did me a favor. It wasn't working out between us anyway."

"Yeah, well, you should have been the one to dump him, not the other way around."

"He didn't break up with her. Technically they're just taking some time apart," I reminded everyone.

"That's just a coward's way of ending things without having to go through an actual break up with someone." Emmett rolled his eyes.

"Really?" I was genuinely shocked. After learning how possessive Nessie thought he was it didn't seem possible. Emmett must be wrong. It might be normal for a human, but Nahuel wasn't.

Nessie seemed surprised by the news too. But I think it had more to do with Emmett calling Nahuel a coward. "Then why has he not returned home to South America with his Aunt?" she questioned him.

"We don't know the reason he's staying around here, but we soon will. Don't worry Renesmee," Edward said. "We're only going to go and talk to him. Would you and Jacob like to come with us?"

"Actually, would you mind if Jake and I went by ourselves?"

Edward seemed to think about it for a few seconds before agreeing to Nessie's request. That or, more likely, she went over her reasons for just the two of us to go, in her mind.

"Jake," she turned to talk to me now, "is that okay? Would you mind going with me? You don't have to, but I need to talk to him and officially end things between us. I could go with someone else if you didn't want to come."

Was she crazy? Like I would ever let her get within ten miles of him now, after learning he was back to his old ways, without me there. "Just let me know when you want to leave."

The crappy motel Nahuel had picked was more disgusting than I could believe actually existed in New Hampshire. There was trash and bugs everywhere, and I think I even saw a few rodents running around the building. The brick on the exterior was crumbling, and giant cracks ran from the roof down to the foundation.

But nothing prepared us for what awaited us when we knocked on the door to his room.

"Renesmee…" Nahuel's face turned to shock as he saw both of us standing there. Obviously, he hadn't realized we would track his credit card activity. "What are you doing here, with J-"

"Darling, could you hand me my bag to freshen up a bit first," we heard a female voice call, from somewhere in the back, probably the bathroom.

HE WASN'T ALONE!

Of course he wasn't. That was probably why he got the room in the first place. But the woman, whoever she was, was currently still alive, and in one piece. She must have just arrived shortly before us. Not that we stayed long enough to find out. As soon as Nessie heard the woman, she ran from the doorway and into the nearby woods. I ran after her, after being sure to give Nahuel a warning growl - not to follow us. There was little point in attempting to save the woman. If he didn't kill her today it would just be someone else tomorrow. And Nessie wouldn't be happy with me killing him. Well maybe after this, she might. I could always go back later.

"Nessie," I called once I got to the woods, but she kept running.

"Renesmee, stop. Please," I called again. I could understand her not wanting to stay, but we drove here. The car was back at the motel. Was she really planning on running the entire way home?

After, my third attempt she finally slowed down enough that I was at least able to catch up with her. Eventually I got in front of her and grabbed her, bringing us both to a stop.

She was sobbing into my arms, not saying anything. Lifting her up, I cradled her in my arms, just like I did when she was a baby. She continued to cry, so I sat us down on the forest floor, but kept her right where she was, in my arms. After about twenty minutes she finally stopped enough to talk, between tears.

"You were right," sob... "He's back to his old ways," sob... "I thought he had actually changed," sob... "I'm so stupid."

"Nessie, you're not stupid. You trusted him, and he betrayed that trust. You didn't do anything wrong. He's not worth you crying over. You're so much better than him."

"Well, at least he seems to have gotten over me and moved on." I could tell she was trying to joke, but I could also see how upset she still was.

"No, you're way too good for him. If he was smart and deserved you, he would never have been able to get over you, or let you go in the first place."

She just chuckled, into my shoulder. Even if she didn't say anything, at least she wasn't crying anymore.

"How are you feeling? Do you think you're ready to go home?" I asked after another ten or so minutes, to which she simply nodded.

"Come on, let's go then." I said, standing both of us up.

"Oh, I... crap! We need to go back to the motel to get the car" she huffed.

"Do you want to wait at the edge of the forest and I can bring the car to you?"

"Jake... thanks," she nodded placing a kiss on my cheek.

After we drove home, and she had calmed down a bit more so that all signs of her tears were gone, we walked through the front door. Edward came over to greet us.

"Nessie, Nahuel called. He said you were upset when you arrived at his room, but you didn't say anything before running off. He called to make sure you arrived home safely."

"Really? Did he happen to mention to you what he was doing, or about to do, that caused Nessie to run off?" I questioned, rather gruffly.

"No," he responded, ignoring my attitude. "His only purpose for calling was to make sure Nessie arrived home in one piece." He then turned to address Nessie. "So, what happened? What made you so upset?"

She didn't say a word, maybe she just thought about what she saw to him, but I gave him a run down in my mind of what we witnessed too.

"Well that's _unfortunate_," he seethed through his teeth. A moment later it appeared like he had calmed down to talk again. "Are you alright?" After Nessie nodded Edward went on. "Nahuel also asked for you to call him, I'll let you decide if you want to or not," Edward said, handing Nessie a small piece of paper, which I assume contained Nahuel's new phone number. "He's planning on remaining at his current accommodations for at least the next two weeks."

"No, thanks," Nessie snipped, crumpling the paper in her hands and throwing it into a nearby trash can. She didn't say anything else, just gave both of us a hug, before going into her room. A few seconds later I heard the shower turn on. Clearly she needed some alone time.

"Look Eddie, I know it not my money and you can use it however you want, but have you ever thought of, oh, I don't know… Cancelling his credit card? Maybe he would leave then, without access to all of your unlimited funds."

Edward sighed unnecessarily and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Jacob, if he is using the card it means we can keep tabs on him, and find him if needed. None of us are trackers and Alice can't see him. We need to know where he is, so we can have an idea of what he's up to. And if he wants to return home, he can buy a plane ticket."

Stupid, logical Vampire thinking.

* * *

**A.N.** If you want to see the art and artist i mentioned in this chapter you can go to lyndalowe dot com

Thanks for reading and please review.


	24. Where is He?

**The Blue Moon**

* * *

**Year Six, Chapter Twenty-Four**

**Where is He?**

* * *

Renesmee's Point of View

* * *

Two Italian subs, heavy on the peppers, a tub of coleslaw, and another filled with potato salad, two bags of chips, a couple waters, one container of strawberries, and a blanket, all fit nicely into the picnic basket. Would Jake want anything else to eat, if he got hungry, while we were flying kites today? Just to be on the safe side I squeezed in a few candy bars.

He should be back from the store any minute now. I couldn't believe that with all of the sports equipment and camping gear, most if which was purely just to keep up the families cover, no one in the family had ever bought a single kite.

"Okay, Nessie, I've got them," he said as he held up two kites after walking through the door a few minutes later. "Is the basket all packed?"

"All set." This was a great idea. Jake and I could get away and do something new. It had occurred to me that maybe things weren't progressing between the two of us because we were just doing the same old things we always did, over and over again. How was he ever going to see me differently if he only saw me doing the same types of things we did day after day?

That… and I needed to make up for what it must have done to him seeing me crying over Nahuel. Not that I was actually crying for him, or us. I was crying at myself, for my own stupidity. I was so stupid to think he had really changed. It's not like I wanted Nahuel back, I was glad he was finally gone. I tried explaining all of this to Jacob that night, but I don't know how convincing I was. Hopefully today would be better; a new start.

After a short run in the woods we found an open clearing that would be perfect; I made sure that the location today was new too. It was a good thing that the cold didn't bother us, because it was the beginning of December and there was a light dusting of snow on the ground. But the wind that was blowing would be perfect to get the kites high up into the air. Well, that was what Aunt Alice said, when she suggested we should go today.

"Hey, why don't we eat first," I suggested after hearing Jake's stomach growl.

"I knew there was a reason I Imprinted on you," he replied as he began digging through the bag and started setting out the food. It was mostly all for him anyways. I don't know how Nahuel could live on this stuff. I tried and tried over the years and had found a few human foods I liked. Strawberries were acceptable, and I liked eggs and a few other things, but most human food was just inedible to me. I mean, I could eat it if I had too, but it just wasn't appetizing, at all.

I was snacking on the strawberries, while Jake happily devoured the rest of the food, when I got an idea. It was something stupid I had seen in a movie, one time, but it seemed to work for the actors, or I guess the characters… technically. I quickly forced down all of the strawberries in the container, save one.

Before popping the last one into my mouth I asked, "Hey Jake, do you want a strawberry?"

"Yeah sure, honey," he answered. Then looked at the empty container. "Err, why'd you ask if there's none left?"

I then gave him a huge smile so he could see the strawberry in my mouth and leaned over to where he was. I pushed it out with my tongue just enough so it was sticking half out, hoping he would take the bait and bite.

He just looked at me and started chuckling before pinching the strawberry between his fingers and pulling it out of my mouth to eat it.

"Gross, Nessie slobber," he chuckled, while chewing.

"Humph!" I mumbled under my breath, probably too low for even him to hear.

"So are you ready to fly some kites, Nessie?" he asked me after swallowing the now pointless berry.

"Sure."

We had been at it for about twenty minutes and was having so much fun, I almost forgot about my failed strawberry kiss attempt.

"I'll get it," Jake called when his kite got snagged on a tree and he rushed to climb up the trunk. But the kite was up too high and the branches were too thin at the top, where the kite was. There's no way they would support his weight.

"You know Jake," I called back, "maybe I should get it; I'm a lot lighter than you."

"Don't worry. I'll get it and be down in a minute." Just as I feared, twenty-three seconds later, just as he reached the top and was reaching for the kite, there was a large cracking sound and the branch he was standing on snapped in half. The branch, the kite, and my Jacob all simultaneously fell one hundred and twenty-seven feet to the ground.

"Jacob!" I screamed, as I ran over to him. Was he hurt? Did he need an ambulance? Should I call 911? Did I even remember to bring my cell phone?

"Ooouuuch," Jacob moaned as he slowly got up.

Oh, thank goodness. "Where are you hurt?"

"Don't worry, it's just my arm. But I think it's broken." He was holding it, but I could see a protrusion in his forearm. It was definitely broken.

"We need to get home quickly and find my grandfather so he can reset it. Can you run?"

He nodded but also winced as he did. I knew he was in pain so I did what I could. Not knowing exactly what I was doing I wrapped his arm in the blanket and around his neck, then shoved everything else in my bag, using my enhanced half-Vamp speed, and we started back. I could tell it was painful yet he managed to run, slower than usual, but we made it home in under ten minutes.

As soon as we came into view of the house my father was in front of us. I'm sure he heard enough in both of our minds that he knew what happened.

"Carlisle's at the hospital, but don't worry Jake, I can take care of this just as easily as he could. Come into the living room," he said. Once we were in the house he motioned Jake toward the couch.

My father momentarily disappeared and then reappeared with some splints and something more appropriate to wrap Jake's arm in. After a quick examination my father informed Jake that he would need to re-break his arm to set it correctly.

"Yeah, I kind of figured that," Jake half winced, half growled.

I knew it must have been excruciatingly painful as my father worked, but Jake never made a sound. It looked like he wanted to scream out in agony. I could see it written all over his face, but using his other hand, he just gripped onto the back of the couch as tightly as he could. And then I heard it. A snap! I worried that he had broken his hand, but soon realized that he'd snapped the back of the couch's support. We'd just need a new couch. That was easy enough to replace but I wasn't too sure how Aunt Alice or Grandma Esme would feel about it. After all they had just replaced this one a couple months ago.

"How exactly did this happen?" my father asked us after he finished resetting Jacob's arm. I mentally went through the events of the day, starting at the very beginning. When I got to the part about the strawberry, my father began pinching the bridge of his nose, as he did when he heard something he didn't like, but I'm pretty sure that this time it was either to hide the grin that was forming on his mouth or to muffle the chuckle that was threatening to escape his lips. Weird. I thought he would have been upset.

"Well," my father said, as he regained his composure, "your arm should be fine in a few days, Jacob. But, perhaps you should leave the kite flying alone for a while. I'll get you some morphine for the pain."

* * *

Two weeks later, Jake's arm was fully healed and he and I were back working on his '62 Ferrari. I had helped here and there, but Jake and Aunt Rose did most of the work. It was almost done and looked amazing. He painted it red, just like the Rabbit, but this was shinny and looked just like it would have when it was brand new; it was incredible. Jake was an artist, not only with wood and engines, but bodywork, and paint, and leather, too.

While we were in the garage, putting some finishing touches on his car... Nahuel returned. Not that I was there to see it, but Aunt Rose was and she seemed to almost enjoy coming to the garage shortly after Nahuel's arrival and telling me all the details.

She mentioned how my father had heard his approach a few miles before he even got close to the house, but not wanted to lose track of Nahuel again (or scare him off) did nothing until he got closer. My father just waited and let him stroll into the house. If my father hadn't been home there would have been no advanced warning that he was coming. He hadn't called, hadn't e-mailed, nothing.

We had heard on the news last week that another body had been found. It was another young woman, but this time Nahuel had at least attempted to get rid of her body in the dumpster behind the motel. He might have been successful, had the garbage truck that was suppose to empty the dumpster that morning, not been so overloaded that part of the trash, including the woman's body, had fallen out. The discovery was really a freak accident, but Uncle Jasper discovered that Nahuel moved out of the motel and went back on the run soon after. He hadn't officially checked out just took his stuff and left. And he hadn't moved into a new place yet, so we weren't sure where he was, not until he showed up at the house, today.

No one, except Jacob and me, and possibly Aunt Rose, were really mad that he wasn't sticking to his human diet, or even the families' vegetarian diet, for that matter. Yes, the loss of life was upsetting, but he was half-Vampire after all. As my father liked to remind me, it wasn't so much inevitable, but understandable, at least to my family. It was mostly the risk he was putting himself, and us in, was what really bothered everyone.

"So what is he doing here?" I asked my Aunt.

"Does he have a death wish?" Jacob chuckled. I didn't think that was very funny.

"Don't know, maybe," she laughed back. "I didn't stay long. He pissed me off, trying to convince Edward that the bodies that keep turning up in his motel rooms weren't his. He claims he is being set up. Like anyone would believe that. He actually came here looking for our help."

"What?" I knew it. This was great news.

"Nessie, he's lying," Jake said, responding to the hopeful look on my face. "He's been lying to us this entire time. He never changed. I don't know how he fooled your father into believing he had, but he did."

"But why would he lie? It's not like we didn't know what his preferred diet was."

"It's not just his diet honey, remember." Like I would ever forget what he would do with... _to_ the women beforehand. "It was the only way to get you. He knew there was no way I, or anyone in the family, would ever let him get close to you if he didn't," Jacob growled under his breath.

"He only ate human food when he was with us. He didn't even hunt animals." This didn't make sense.

"You weren't with him twenty-four/seven. He could have been sneaking out, feeding on humans all along."

"Then why didn't any other bodies turn up before?"

"He's just had some bad luck recently. You saw how he had a woman at the motel a few weeks ago," Jake argued, but I wasn't buying it.

"I don't know. I'm going to go talk to him. Something's not right."

Jacob moved in front of me, placing his arms on my shoulders, while trying to talk me out of going. "Renesmee, he's not worth distressing yourself over."

"I need to know the truth. Either come with me or get out of my way, Jake."

"Come on then," he said with a huff, releasing my shoulders, but kept a protective arm around my waist, while moving slightly to the side, so he could walk next to me, back up to the house. It wasn't like he would ever really stand in my way.

"Renesmee!" Nahuel excitedly exclaimed, running over to me, as Jake and I entered the house. It looked like he just stopped short of picking me up and twirling me around, or something. "I'm so glad to see you, again. I was so worried after you ran off, at the motel. You never called me. It seems you all have been under the impression I've been recklessly feeding from humans once again. But I have assured Edward that this is untrue."

"It seems we jumped to conclusions and were wrong about him, Renesmee," my father agreed.

Aunt Rose had stayed in the garage, my mother and Uncle Jasper were at school and my grandfather was at the hospital, but Grandma Esme, Aunt Alice, and Uncle Emmett were in the room with us as well. They all looked like they believed him.

"Then who was the woman at the motel?" Jacob growled softly beside me.

"That was my sister."

His sister? But I had met Jennifer, I knew her voice, even if I didn't see her, whoever was in the bathroom wasn't Jennifer.

"No it wasn't her," my father cleared up my confusion. "It was one of his other sisters, Maysun."

"Jennifer is normally the only sister I stay regularly in contact with, but I enjoy Maysun's company as well, from time to time. I'm sorry if I caused you any confusion or undue stress, but you ran off before I could explain."

I knew it, I knew he really had changed. "I'm sorry. It was just a shock and I jumped to the wrong conclusion. Can you forgive me?"

"It's alright; I understand how you may have thought that. Now that you're here, I was wondering if I may talk with you, in private."

"Jacob, let her go," my father warned, as his grip tighten around me. "She'll be alright."

"Come on, let's go for a walk in the woods, behind the house," I said to Nahuel, before reassuring Jake that I would meet up with him later. I needed to talk to Nahuel ALONE. Jake didn't seem happy, but I agreed to stay where my father could hear me and he assured me he would not to follow us.

Nahuel and I talked... and talked... and talked.

Hours later, when we were done, I went and found Jacob, like I'd promised. He had made his way back into the garage and was continuing to work on his car. I didn't realize there was anything left to do on it. Thinking we'd finished it this morning, but he'd taken apart the muffler and was doing _something_ with it.

"Jake?"

"Hey," he responded, but didn't look up. "Have fun in the woods?" I barely heard him under his breath, but he tried to disguise it as a sigh. He was upset, I know. "I heard the _good_ news. Esme stopped by to bring me some lunch, and mentioned how he's moving back into the guest room. You and Nahuel are back together then," Jake seethed as he threw the wire brush in his hand. He was aiming for the toolbox, but used too much force and not only the brush but many of the other tools flew out and across the room.

"Well, yes and no," I said cautiously.

"What's that suppose to mean?" Jake questioned with more anger than he'd ever used when speaking to me before.

"Yes, Nahuel is moving back in, but no we're not back together. And we won't be, EVER," I tried to stress. I wasn't upset about it and didn't want him to even have the tiniest doubt that I was. "I'll tell you all about it later, but for now we need to go to my Grandparents house. Another family meeting was called."

"Wait," Jacob said as he jumped up and grabbed my arm as I was turning to leave for my grandparents' house. "Can we talk first, please?" All hints of anger were now gone from his voice.

"Jake, they're waiting for us."

"Let them wait. It will only take a moment. What did you mean - you and Nahuel not being together anymore? What did you two say exactly?"

"We talked about a lot of things. He apologized for not coming back earlier, but was dealing with some important issues that he says he'll explain to everyone once were all together. That's why we need to go now," I tried again to get him to go with me to my grandparents house, but he wasn't having it. "Fine," I gave in and agreed to talk, but just the basics. This was going to be a long conversation and we didn't have time to really get into everything right now. "Nahuel let me know that he was not interested in a relationship anymore. And I agreed. We're not right for each other."

Jake just stood there, not saying a word. I would tell him everything later, but right now everyone was waiting for us.

"Come on, we have to go."

* * *

Jacob's Point of View

* * *

"What is this meeting about, exactly?" I questioned no one in particular. I didn't want to be here. I wanted to go finish the conversation I started with Nessie. I hated these _family meetings_. And the fact that Nahuel was the one who called this one pissed me off even more.

Everyone was sitting around the Doc and Esme's coffee table. Nahuel had turned their dining room into a greenhouse, and Esme liked the flowers so it was never switched back, but whatever. I still didn't want to be here. Looking around the table I didn't think anyone else really did either. At least I wasn't alone in my opinion of Nahuel. For now, anyway.

Bella, Jasper and Carlisle had just returned from school and were not brought up to date on Nahuel's innocence claims yet. And Rose, like me, didn't believe him in the first place.

"As you know there have been several bodies found in the area close to the Motels I have been staying at," Nahuel began. "I need you to know that I'm not responsible for them. I wasn't the one who caused the women's deaths."

"Wait? What do you mean _several_? We only heard about two on the news," Esme questioned.

"They were placed in my room sometime while I was out or asleep. Most I was able to dispose of without anyone finding out."

"How are there more victims out there that we know nothing about? Wouldn't someone have reported them missing?" Bella asked.

"They weren't from around here. It seems that they were from all along the east coast, from here down to Florida," Edward answered.

"Before getting rid of the bodies I found their wallets and did some research," Nahuel added. "As far as I can tell they all disappeared over the past eight months."

"So you're trying to make us believe that a Vampire abducted these women and held them for months, before finally deciding to feed from them and then dumping them on your doorstep. Who would even be capable of doing such a thing, and why?" Bella questioned. It appeared he hadn't convinced her as easily as he had her husband.

"The _why_ I'm not certain, exactly, but the _who_ I believe I can answer. It was my father, Joham."

"Why do you believe he was behind this?" the Doc asked.

"He was careful not to leave his scent on the bodies, but I could still detect the faintest hint of it on one of them. It was so soft I couldn't place it at first and I probably would not have made the connection with him if Maysun hadn't visited me soon after. She is not as devious as Joham, or my oldest sister, Serena, but she never visits without some ulterior motive from my father. While she never mentioned him, the timing just seems too coincidental.

"There is one other thing, but I'm less certain of it. I believe I glimpsed Serena across the main lawn at Dartmouth the day I visited there with Renesmee and Jacob. I only saw her from across the main yard, and I didn't catch her scent, or my father's, or any other of my sisters'."

So that was what was wrong with him that day. I knew he seemed out of it. At the time I thought he was overwhelmed by all of the humans, or the largeness of the university. Back then I was worried about him overhearing Rob's comments about Nessie and me, but he never reacted back then. I guess this explained it.

"Whatever he's up to, it seems he's been planning it for months, and nothing he does is ever good." Nahuel actually seemed nervous. "He might be trying to send the Volturi after me, possibly as payback for me doing it to him first five years ago."

"But he's your father," Nessie gasped.

"You don't really know it was him, or what he's actually up too. It's just your stupid theory, and not a very good one at that. You have no actual evidence to back this claim up? You could have made all of it up to cover up your incompetence" Rose snipped.

"I'm afraid I can only give you my word that it wasn't me. But please believe me. I could really use your help."

"Of course. You came to our aid when we needed it," the Doc said, referring to the _incident_ with the Volturi. "We will do what we can. Though I'm not sure how effective we will be," he sighed. "Alice I'm assuming you cannot see Joham, if he is with his daughters?"

It looked like Alice tried to see... something, but came up empty.

"Sorry. I'll keep checking, maybe he'll make some decision when he's alone."

"Well, at least, with all of us around, no more bodies should turn up, at least not here. Nahuel, do you think you can contact one of your sisters and ask them if they will meet with us? I'd like to at least try and get some answers as to why Joham is doing this to you."

"You really think they're going to agree to come here?" I asked. What if Joham came too? I didn't really like the idea of him anywhere near Nessie. Not that she would ever be left alone.

"They have nothing to fear from us. And Jennifer has already been here once and can attest to that. Nahuel are they aware of Edward's gift?" Jasper would want to suss out any weak spots on our part.

"Yes," he admitted. "Jennifer and I would often talk about all of you. I wasn't trying to compromise any of you, I just wanted to help her get to know you all, when Renesmee and I became -" he trailed off and actually gave me an apologetic look.

"Yes, well... why don't we start with her," Jasper offered. "She has already been here, she knows us, and Nahuel, you said you're most comfortable with her out of all your sisters. If Joham is behind this, she might know something."

"I doubt it. If she knew what he was doing she would have warned me."

"He may not have told her his plan, but she may be aware of something that can help us, that she's not even aware she knows," Carlisle theorized.

"Does he even have some devious plan, like you seem to assume?" Emmett questioned. "Can't he just be feeding and leaving the bodies for you to deal with instead of him? Maybe he's just lazy."

"That's right," Alice joined in on his train of thought. "It's not like its dozens and dozens of bodies that are turning up. Those women could have been up here for a number of reasons, going to school being one of them. It seems unlikely Joham held them for months on end. Let's not jump to any conclusions."

"Yeah, maybe he thought it would be funny leaving the bodies in your room," Emmett chuckled.

"Why not ask Maysun. If she just visited Nahuel a few weeks ago, she's possibly still in the area, especially if she's with Joham. And he trusts her more than Jennifer. She would be more likely to know his plan, if there is one, or if this is just some stupid joke," Nessie offered.

I had to admit, Emmett's theory made more sense that Nahuel's. Well not all of it. I doubt Joham was just lazy or a prankster. I'm sure there was a reason, but it seemed highly unlikely it was as bad as Nahuel was making it out to be.

If Joham wanted Nahuel dead, like he assumed, he could just easily kill him, himself. I don't think he would need to draw the Volturi down on him. Or us. Maybe that was it.

Joham could be trying to take us out, like the Volturi had before. Was he trying to start a war between us? Get us so _offended_ by Nahuel's behavior that we try to kill him. And then Joham and his family would come to defend their son and brother? But what could one Vampire and three half breeds do against all of us? That couldn't be it. I guess we did really need more answers.

"I already asked her," Nahuel said. She could have been lying, she probably was, but she claimed not to know what I was talking about."

"She might be able to fool you, but she won't be able to get past me," Edward said with a smirk, while tapping the side of his head.

"I don't have her number."

"You have Jennifer's," Nessie said. "She would have it, or she's already with Maysun. And you wanted to talk to her anyways."

Nahuel followed Nessie's advice and called Jennifer first, but she was back home, and had been for over three months, ever since she left us. She did mention that Maysun was currently with Joham, but wasn't sure about their whereabouts, nor did she have any knowledge of any devious plans he had.

The phone number she had for her sister was no longer in service. She gave us the location of a place Jennifer thought her father and sister were staying, but Alice and Jasper went to check it out and called to let us know that it was empty and hadn't looked lived in for some time. Whatever was going on, things were starting to look more and more suspicious.

At least after the family meeting was over, Nessie and I went to our special place by the birch trees, in the woods, behind the house, to talk... finally.

* * *

**A.N.** Okay, what do you think? Should i expand the strawberry incident at the beginning of the chapter? Did it work for you? would you make any other suggestions? Changes?

Thanks for reading. Please review. They make me post faster.


	25. Finally

**The Blue Moon**

* * *

**Year Six, Chapter Twenty-Five**

**Finally**

* * *

Jacob's Point of View

* * *

It was Christmas Eve. Though Nessie normally hated this time of year, due to its association with when the Volturi came to destroy her and her family, we were actually celebrating the holiday this year. It was Nessie's idea. I don't think anyone in the family would suggest it, knowing how she reacted in the past. But she wanted to try. I knew she would be fine. She was so much older now. Well... mentally older. I know I, and everyone else, had thought Nessie had the mental equivalence of an adult by the time she was one, and that was true when referring to book smarts. Esme had also tried to give her as much in the way of life experience as she could cram in. But some things just couldn't be taught, they needed to be lived. Granted five years wasn't the eighteen to twenty most humans got before being considered an adult, but she looked like she was about twenty-one, and was now dealing with the ups and downs of life much the way a human adult would. In the past she would take weeks to months to process unpleasant events or ideas. The incident with the Volturi took years for her nightmares to decimate. I think that her wanting to at least attempt to celebrate this holiday was a wonderful sign. And I was looking forward to having Christmas again. Everyone was.

Not only were we celebrating, but we were expecting guests. Charlie and Sue Swan were due to arrive soon, along with Sue's children and my Pack members, Leah and Seth. None of them had mentioned that they were coming until a day ago. And since Leah and Seth spent so much time hanging out with their mom and Charlie I even found out, on my last Skype call, _before_ Alice saw anything.

It was almost funny watching Alice turn into _Scary Alice_ when I told the family something she didn't already know. Well not the whole family. Nessie, Bella and Edward had joined me on the call with Leah so they knew, too. Charlie had planned on calling Bella personally later that day, but Leah beat him to the punch, not that he minded, so it was all good.

Bella and Edward had each taken a car and were at the airport right now picking them up.

Leah had also mentioned that they had some big news they needed to share in person. I couldn't imagine what it was that they couldn't tell us over the phone.

Emmett, being Emmett, had jumped to the least likely, most ridiculous possibility, that Sue was pregnant. That made it almost impossible for Jasper to not jump at the chance to make a bet with him for some equally ridiculous scenario – that Leah was the one who was knocked up.

"Guys, that's a really touchy subject for Leah. Since she started phasing… well she can't have kids," I admitted. They looked stunned, but I wasn't sure if that would make them back down. "If you don't want to lose an arm I wouldn't even hint at the possibility when she gets here."

I hope they don't say anything. Leah didn't like the Cullen's as it was, and couldn't imagine her coming here, if whatever Charlie and Sue were planning on telling us wasn't extremely important. That being said, the four of them turned down our offer to stay in the guests rooms and had instead decided to book some rooms at one of the local hotels.

I guess it was better this way, I mean everyone was more than willing to accommodate them, but Seth and Leah were Werewolves. The Cullen's had gotten use to my _aroma_ over the years, but I mostly stayed in a few areas of the house: my room, the kitchen, living room, movie room, and of course the garage. I tried not to go _infect_ more of the houses than I needed to. It just made it easier for everyone. No one ever said anything and it wasn't like there were places I wasn't allowed. And I wouldn't just walk into their bedrooms, but if I needed to go somewhere other than the places I frequented often, I would. And they did the same for me. None of them ever came into Nessie's and my bedroom, well Bella and Edward did on occasion, but even then they tried to just hover in the doorway - certain incidents excluded.

Though they were not staying with us, the four of them were meeting at our house to catch up before going to the hotel, but when everyone arrived I could tell by the slightly troubled looks on their faces that something was up. Not wrong, exactly, just... I'm not sure what. I guess whatever the _big news_ was it wasn't happy news. Regardless, I was excited to see Seth and Leah again. It had been too long.

"So anybody want to tell us what's going on?" I asked Leah and Seth point blank after some quick greetings, but before even letting them get settled. There was no point in sidestepping the issue. I was gonna find out eventually, may as well get it over with.

"Jacob, you and Nessie might want to sit down for this first. They have a lot to tell you," Bella said as she directed Charlie and Sue upstairs.

Did Edward pick whatever it was out of their brains or had they already told them, themselves?

"A little of both," Edward answered my thoughts.

Was it that important? I started to run through a list of worst case scenarios. Did someone die? Was the Vampire threat at La Push starting up again? Was something wrong with Billy? Was that why he didn't come with the rest of them? My mind was reeling. What could have happened?

I had been gone for years. I know I Skyped at least once a week with them but I should have kept in contact more. I was Leah and Seth's Alpha, their leader. It was my job to protect them. Had I let them down?

"Easy Jacob, it's nothing like that, why don't you just let them explain everything to you, before you start over reacting," Edward tried to reassure me.

Right. No point in overreacting until I knew what I should react to.

"Okay guys what's going on?" I questioned as Seth, Leah, Nessie and myself settled down on the couch, in the living room, while Edward left to follow the others upstairs. Whatever was going on, Charlie had looked like he was working hard not to pass out. "We're sitting, start talking."

"Jake, man," Seth started, as Nessie got comfy on my lap, "it's nothing bad. It's actually awesome when you think about it."

"Think about what, Seth? You haven't told us anything yet."

"I finally Imprinted," he said with a huge grin on his face.

Really? That was good news. Great news actually. But who could it be and why did that freak Charlie out? I know Seth met everyone from our Tribe and the Makah Tribe. I hope it wasn't another baby. Imprinting on Nessie was wonderful, but I knew it would be a lot easier for Seth if he found someone closer to his own age.

When I didn't say anything, Nessie asked what I should have. "Who's the lucky young lady?"

"Um… Jake, do you remember Carol Pond?"

"Barely." I moved Nessie's hair out of the way to see Leah easier, "wasn't she one of your friends?"

"Yeah… sort of," she seemed hesitant. "She's actually a few years older than me. She's been away at college for years. Carol left home ages ago to get her bachelor's degree and then stayed to get her masters. This winter break was one of the first times she'd been back to La Push since she started school. She's going to be going for her PhD. in Sociology when the school year starts again in January."

"Wow." Wait, how old was she?

As if Seth was anticipating my question, probably from the look on my face, he answered, "She just turned twenty-seven. She's been away at school for almost ten years now. It's taken her awhile since she's been working her way through, trying to pay for it as she goes. But it's gonna be worth it. She is so smart and talented. She just transferred to the University of New Hampshire so I'm moving here with her. Isn't that great? We're gonna be neighbors again. And Leah is staying too."

"That's wonderful news!" Nessie exclaimed, apparently so happy for this woman she's never met that she gave me a hug. "Jake, won't it be great to have your Pack back together?" she asked as I wrapped my arms around her.

"Well, it will only be me," Leah interrupted. "Carol's already older than Seth so he's going to give up being a Wolf to start aging with her."

Seth looked a bit nervous, probably about how I would react to the news, but there was no need. "That sounds like the right decision," I assured him. "I'm happy for you, Seth. But that means Quil is going to be all alone." Not including Sam's Pack.

Embry was still in Texas, watching over Colleen, mostly as a Wolf, just like I feared. He still checked in about once a month as I had asked him to, but things didn't seem to be improving for him, or her, or any of them.

"Well, we kind of wanted to talk to you about that, Leah said. "Quil was thinking of joining _Jared's_ Pack if you didn't have any objections."

"Jared's Pack?" Nessie seemed shocked at the news. I knew Sam and Paul had been planning to retire, I guess it finally happened, which Seth quickly confirmed.

But how long that was going to last? Jared wasn't going to stay a Wolf indefinitely? I mean he first passed, just like me, when he was sixteen, and then a few months later looked twenty-five just like the rest of us Wolves. While he and Kim are technically the same age he probably still looked a few years older than her. That wouldn't be a problem right now, but I heard she got into medical school, or something. Were they really going to wait another eight or more years to get married, and for him to stop phasing and start aging? It wasn't like it was my call, or anything. It was his life and he could do whatever he wanted with it.

"No, of course not," I finally replied. "Quil can do whatever he wants." I know he needed to stay in La Push for Claire and he got along fine with Jared. "So does this mean we should start making room for you guys here?" I know Seth didn't have a problem with the way the Cullen's smelt, but Leah was another matter entirely.

"No way. Carol, Seth and I are gonna get a house by her school. I'd rather listen to the two of them humping all night, than have to put up with the smell here. Err... no offense, Nessie," she quickly added.

Seth humping? Really? That was a little strange to hear. I always thought of Seth as a little kid, but he wasn't, not any more. He was twenty after all. I guess this was possible, normal even. But where had the time gone?

Nessie ignored Leah's rudeness, she was used to it by now. "So where is this_ Carol?_ When are we going to meet her?"

"Honestly guys, it might take some time. She was good enough learning about the whole Wolf news, being familiar with the tribal legends from when she was younger. But the Vampire part kinda freaked her out and she didn't want to really come here. Sorry," Seth apologized, looking down at his feet.

"No, that's okay. I completely understand. If you want you can bring her over when she's ready. And if she never is, then that's fine too. I wouldn't want her to be uncomfortable," Nessie said, while stroking my arm, making sure I was not getting upset. She's always so kind and forgiving. It's really sweet of her. But what Seth said next threw me for a loop, Nessie too.

"Yeah… there's another, um" Seth hesitated, obviously not wanted to say whatever it was he was about to, "issue. She kind of freaked out about the whole Vampire thing and that you," he stopped again, looking directly at Nessie, "were who our friends were, and who we were coming to visit." He stopped again.

This was getting annoying. I didn't growl, but Nessie must have thought I was about to, because she stopped stroking my arm and grabbed my hand as she gave me a reassuring look. I must have looked like I calmed down enough that Seth started talking again.

"Well… she was still freaking out when Charlie came home and he heard everything. So the secret's kinda out of the bag. I'm really sorry that he found out about the whole Vampire... family... Bella... thing."

"Seth, that wasn't your fault. He pretty much knew already. Just no one ever said the exact words to him," Nessie said, trying to relieve some of his guilt. I agreed. He didn't need to deal with that. He found his Imprint and they were together. This should be a happy time for him.

"How is he doing?" I asked.

"Well... he just found out yesterday, and so far so good. I think. He's still a bit freaked out, but he's dealing."

"Um, so Jake, we actually have some things we need to talk to you about. Pack stuff, you know. Mind if we phase to get this done quickly?" Leah asked, breaking the now slightly tense mood in the room.

I didn't want to just abandon Nessie. "Do you mind?" I asked her.

"No, yeah go, of course," she said almost pushing me out the back door. She knew how long it had been since I talked to anyone as a Wolf and I was glad she understood. I wonder what they needed to talk to me about that it was so urgent that it couldn't wait though. "I'm going to go find Grampy Charlie and Sue, and see how's he's handling everything," she added, before taking off upstairs and I headed out the back door with Seth and Leah.

As we were undressing in the backyard, Seth said something right before he phased that confused me. "So, you and Nessie are finally together." But he didn't ask it as if it was a question; he said it as if it was a statement, like it was a fact.

Once we were phased, he could clearly see in my mind that he was mistaken. But why did he even think that?

_Oh. They're not together, _Seth thought to himself, but Leah and I could hear him, through our Wolf telepathy. I thought he was just too wrapped up in his own new Imprinting and wasn't thinking clearly, but then I saw, in Leah's mind, that she had been thinking the same thing.

_Wait, what was going on back in the house? You guys were all over each other, _Leah wondered.

After Nahuel had returned, a few days ago, Nessie and I talked that night about us. How she was no longer with him, and wouldn't be ever again. She made it clear that she loved me, but I don't think it had turned into a romantic love yet.

I thought back to when she looked about thirteen, and we had the infamous movie night, kissing fiasco. It was embarrassing, and I had never shared what happened with either of them, and didn't mean to now. Thankfully neither Seth nor Leah commented on that. But it was nothing more than a school girl crush Nessie had on me back then. When the crush faded she went back to thinking of me just as her friend and protector and moved on to Nahuel.

_What are you two talking about? We were just sitting on the couch like we always do. The way she feels about me is completely platonic. I may as well be her brother. _

_Trust us Jake, no she doesn't. There's no way Seth and I would ever act like that, _Leah responded.

_Yeah dude, you were sitting on the couch, but she was sitting in your lap, and stroking your arm, and leg, the entire time. Didn't you even notice? _he asked, while showing me a replay of everything he saw. "_And you were just as bad, you had your nose buried in her hair and you were rubbing her back the whole time we talked, never mind the way the two of you were gushingly looking at each other. _

_Seriously, Jake, I was trying to hold back the vomit. Get your head out of your ass and do something. She's clearly waiting for you. And I don't know how much more obvious she can make it, _Leah added.

_Oh!_

I think after their revelation, they must have given up on whatever they had planned on telling me, or else I was so out of it I didn't hear any of it. Either way they left, possibly over to the hotel, I wasn't really sure. But I phased back to my Wolf form, and spent pretty much the remainder of the day running around in a daze, thinking over not only what Seth and Leah had shown me, but everything that had happened between Nessie and myself over the past year. Well, longer than that actually. Had I really missed the signs? Was Nessie waiting for me to make some sort of first move?

When she and I went to our bedroom that night I asked Nessie if she would like me to brush her hair. Though it had been hours since my talk with Seth and Leah I still needed some time to think, and with her hair being so long, lush, and curly, brushing it would give me the excuse I needed before getting into bed with her.

She sat in front of her vanity. I went to grab her hair brush but where was it? After searching for a second I found it half hiding under a pile of books she had recently been reading and re-reading over and over again -_ The Great Gatsby,_ _Les Liaisons Dangereuses, _and on top was_ Emma._ It was one of Bella's favorites; the spine was so cracked it stayed open on its own and a part of it was highlighted:

**"Yes," said he, smiling, "and reason good. I was 16 years old when you were born."**

**"A material difference, then," she replied; "and no doubt you were much my superior in judgment at that period of our lives; but does not the lapse of one-and-twenty years bring our understanding a good deal nearer?"**

**"Yes, a good deal **_**nearer**_**."**

I knew the Story, Bella got me to read it last year – The part that was highlighted was talking about how Emma knew she was now on equal footing with the guy. What was his name? Oh right… Mr. Knightly. It was when everything changed in their relationship.

I had always told Nessie that if she wanted me we could be together when she was old enough. Now she looked twenty-one too. But it could just be a coincidence.

As I brushed, I thought. And as I thought, Seth and Leah's assumptions slowly started to become understandable. Nahuel's jealousy even started to make sense. Actually everything did.

I continued brushing Nessie's hair for... I don't know how long, while completely in a daze. Eventually... slowly... it dawned on me. This beautiful creature, who was sitting in front of me, patiently waiting, loved me! Truly loved me, the way I loved her, and on top of that, actually wanted ME. How could I have been so blind?

Eventually, I don't know how long, I put the brush down by the books. Those books! Oh My Goodness! Thinking back over it right now, I didn't know if I loved or hated those books. Everyone in the family must have known. The whole, entire family.

That must have been why Jasper suggested I read the French one in the first place. At the time I wasn't sure what he had been thinking, other than getting me away from a murderous Edward. I had only just started learning French, I couldn't read an entire book in the language. It was taking me forever, and that was with a lot of help from Nessie. Luckily Esme had mentioned the 1988 Glen Close movie. After watching it, it made the book a little easier to understand. But it was a so awkward for me to watch and read with Nessie. It seemed an odd choice for Jasper to suggest back then. The subject matter and language seemed highly inappropriate. We had to have had other books in the house written in French. I didn't think Nessie should read things like that but also knew she had already read every single book the Cullens kept in the house, including ones Rosalie had in her room. (If I'd known what she had in there I would have objected. I was surprised Edward had never said anything. Nessie must have closely guarded her thoughts.)

But some of the parallels in the novel were just too close to reality. That had to have been why Jasper gave it to me in the first place. Essentially a written smack across my head to knock some sense into me. And it explained Edward's comment he made to me later that night, about me "getting out of my own way". He was expecting this. Waiting for this, for me... me and Nessie.

* * *

Renesmee's Point of View

* * *

Jacob was currently brushing my hair; I loved when he did this. But as he did he seemed far away in thought. What he was thinking about? So much had been said today.

Seth Imprinted, and was giving up his Wolf, he and Leah were moving out here, Quil was joining Jared's Pack, and my Grampy Charlie found out the family secret.

Poor guy. He'd seemed so out of sorts when I went up to talk to him, with Sue, and my mother and father. I had walked into the middle of a conversation the four of them were in. From what I could gather it seemed like Seth, Leah, Sue, and even Billy had all tried talking to him, back in La Push. When he found out that all of his friends and family already knew about us he seemed more upset about that than anything, well almost. But he was the one who came up with the whole _need to know_ rule that we were following, so he really couldn't be that upset, could he?

Maybe Uncle Jasper could come and calm him down a bit?

"That would not be a permanent solution Nessie, my father had answered me.

My Grandpa seemed confused, looking at my father, and wondering why he was answering a question no one asked. At least not out loud. "Huh? What's not a solution?"

"Nessie thought Jasper might be able to help you," he replied.

"Help me how? I didn't even hear her say anything."

"She didn't. Um, Charlie what I'm about to tell you might sound a bit strange." It seemed my father decided to break the news of our gifts.

"Stranger than you turning my daughter into a _Vampire_?" Grandpa seemed pissed. But that could be a good thing - he wasn't scared.

"Well no, probably not, but it has to do with that, in a way. Some of us acquire special abilities, gifts we like to think of them, when we're transformed into what we are, now. I have one of those, such gifts. The ability to read minds. Your Daughter and Granddaughter have gifts too. As well as Alice and Jasper. Jasper can sense and manipulate emotions. But only when he is in the vicinity of the person, so Nessie's idea to have him help you relax would only be a temporary solution. You have received life altering news and, in truth, need to deal with it on a more permanent level."

"Dad, don't be mad at Edward, I knew what I was getting myself into," my mother tried to comfort him, but he shrunk back as she went to grab his hand and she didn't try again. So much for him not being scared. "You knew that. Remember the first day you saw me after Edward's and my honeymoon, when you first met Renesmee, we went through all of this?"

"Yup, I know," he relented with a sigh, finally taking her hand. "It's just different now that I _really_ know the truth. But I guess if you have to be a Vampire then it's good to know that all of those legends about garlic, and sunlight, and everything isn't true," he sighed again, kind of merrily this time. "Wouldn't want you bursting into flames or anything."

"But you know I'm truly happy, right?" my mother asked.

"I guess, but isn't it weird having this one," he whispered while thumbing over to my father, "read your mind all the time, I'm creeped out just thinking about it."

"Actually I cannot read your daughter's mind. It's part of her gift, which she got from you. And I'm only able to get bits and pieces from your mind. More like impressions, and a few stray words here and there. No complete thoughts or sentences though."

That was a shock. My mom looked like she was working hard to remember if she had already known this, back when she was human. I knew she, and all Vampires, had trouble remembering the majority of their human lives.

"I thought you said you got your freaky powers when you became a Vampire, last time I checked I wasn't one."

"No, but our gifts are present when we're still human, just less intense. I was never able to read Bella's mind when she was human either, but now, she can do so much more than just block me. She's truly amazing," my father gushed with adoration in his eyes and voice as he looked over at my mother.

"Well, that's... interesting," my grandfather huffed. "So that's why this one," he said, gesturing to me, "grows so fast, then? How old are you now, anyway? Last time I saw you, it was at my and Sue's wedding, you looked like you were ten or eleven years old back then, and that was four years ago. I guess I never really noticed that much on those video call things. You're all grown up now."

"Renesmee's around twenty-one, dad," my mother answered for me.

"Twenty-one, huh? Weird. She looks older than you Bells, no offence," he said apologetically to both of us.

"Vampires stop aging at whatever age they were changed," my father informed him. "I'll always look seventeen, while your daughter will forever appear as this beautiful eighteen year old. Renesmee is only a half-Vampire so she will continue to age quickly, until she has been alive for seven years. Then she will become frozen, like us. We believe she won't appear much older than she does now."

"Huh. I think I'm gonna need a beer. Sue you want one too?" Then he turned to me and smiled… sort of. "Hey there, since you're twenty-one, you want one too, Nessie?"

I think he was being sarcastic, so I answered back with a chuckle, "I don't drink alcohol, Grandpa. Just blood."

"Blood?" He turned white as a ghost. Hadn't Sue, Billy and the Wolves told him that part about us?

"Apparently they glossed over it," my father answered my thoughts, before reassuring my grandfather. "We don't drink human blood, Charlie. Only that from animals."

"Just animals?"

"That's right, dad," my mother reassured him. "I would never want this life if it meant I had to kill humans."

After a while Grampy Charlie calmed down, and we were able to talk more about the families vegetarian lifestyle, the need for him never to tell anyone the truth about us, and _eventually_ we were able to discuss our plans for Christmas.

Today had been such a long day.

I was so glad Jake suggested this. I needed a little time to decompress before going to sleep. And it looked like he did too.

He had been moving the brush absentmindedly through my hair as he thought through things. I hope he was okay. After forty-two minutes Jacob seemed to unconsciously switched from brushing my hair to rubbing my shoulders. It felt amazing and I instantly relaxed. I hadn't even known I was so tense, but Jake must have. Our Imprint bond was always leading him in things like that.

Seth's news had come as quite a shock, but I didn't realize it had affected him so much. Maybe it was something else… possibly whatever the Pack news was that Seth and Leah told him when they phased into Wolves, but he didn't mention anything. Then again, he did seem different once he'd phased back.

"I'm so happy for Seth", I said with a smile, looking up at Jake through the mirror, and breaking the silence. Neither one of us had said anything since we came back to our bedroom for the night. Not that it was an uncomfortable silence, I just wanted to find out what Jake was thinking about, and needed to start the conversation somehow.

Seth was the nicest guy I knew, well besides my Jacob. He deserved all the happiness in the world.

"Yeah, me too," Jake sort of smiled back. But I could tell he still wasn't really here. His hands started moving up and down my arms, not really rubbing them; it was more like a caress. He rarely consciously touched me like this, not for long anyway. It felt so good.

I wonder? I wanted to try something.

"Too bad though, I kinda wished that if we had a little girl, he could Imprint on her," I mused, then held my breath waiting for his response.

"Well, maybe we'll have a boy and Leah could. I know she can be temperamental at times, but an Imprints love can work magic."

Wow! He WAS different tonight. I decided to press things even more, since he hadn't stopped stroking my arms; I don't think he realized what he said. Every time in the past, I'd tried something like this he'd either freak out or ignore it like it wasn't happening. Was he finally ready?

"So when are we having this little boy or girl?" I smirked up at him, trying to hide my nerves.

"Huh?" In the mirror I could see him come out of his daze, at the same time he realized what his hands were doing. He went to move them away, but I grabbed them and held them tight while turning myself around to look him directly in the eyes.

"Jacob?" I whispered before rising up and placing a soft kiss on his cheek. I had kissed him there many times before, but this time it felt different. I think he was ready. I kissed his cheek again, then slowly caressed it with my own, sliding my head down till my lips met his. I gave him a little peck. He didn't move away, but didn't kiss me back either. Yet, much to my delight, he also didn't freeze or back away, and I think I saw a small smile form.

Hmmm? One more try.

"Jake?" I smiled, giving him one more peck on the lips. I was so nervous and excited, but just hoped I wasn't shaking too much, I needed to stay calm.

"Renesmee, I... um-" He didn't look upset, or embarrassed, like he had when I tried things in the past. He seemed... I'm not sure. Just a little more...

"Would you like to start right now?" I smirked again, raising my eyebrows. He actually started to laugh at my suggestion, but not the kind he did when he thought something was farfetched or ridiculous. He sounded like he was enjoying the idea.

"Maybe, but not here. I don't think Edward would appreciate us doing that anywhere near where he could hear us," he chuckled again. He actually chuckled. It was soft, but it was there.

"Finally!" I exclaimed. "I love you so much, my Jacob." I jumped up and gave him a huge hug. Then pulled back, just a bit, I was still holding him, but I needed to check and make sure he wasn't becoming overwhelmed. I didn't want to scare or overwhelm him and cause him to change his mind.

When I looked up at him I saw he was still smiling. Thank goodness.

Our lips were inches apart, now. So close, yet not touching. I wanted to kiss him more, really kiss him, not just a tiny little peck. I wanted to truly kiss him, now, more than I have ever wanted anything in my entire life.

I inched my face forward, never taking my eyes off of his. Closing the small gap between us I pressed my lips to his. Part of me was terrified that I had moved too fast, that I was going to scare him away and he would reject me again. But instead he started to kiss me back. Our lips and arms, our whole bodies, fit effortlessly together. This first real kiss was as magically as I dreamed it would be.

After a minute we broke apart. "I love you too, sweetheart." His smile was bigger than I had ever seen, but it didn't last. It looked like my fear was about to come true. "Sorry it took me so long to get here. Can you forgive me?"

Relief flooded through me. He wasn't rejecting me. But I was the one who needed to apologize. "I'm the one who should be asking you to forgive me. I screwed everything up between us for so long. I... am... so... sorry."

"Renesmee you have nothing to be sorry about. We're fine, and can only get better... closer, moving forward." His smile returned, and with it so did mine.

"I've been waiting for so many years; I can't believe you're finally ready for US. I'm so glad tonight didn't end up like all the others," I sighed with relief.

His eyebrows shot up in bewilderment. "Huh? What do you mean honey?"

"Oh, well..." I guess I should tell him. "I hope you don't get mad, but... um... I've been slipping in suggestive comments that could be taken a certain way, depending on how you looked at them, for the past couple of years. Along with watching your reactions to other err... comments and observations. I've been trying to gauge whether or not you were ready for me; for us," I amended. "Up until today you would freeze and back away, or simply not even notice, depending on what it was." He didn't say anything, only giving me a blank stare. "I thought you knew. At least sometimes, it was if you would become almost scared of being around me, and not wanting to touch me, things like that."

"Really?" He seemed shocked.

"Yes," I apologized again. Did he really have no clue? "But tonight, you were different. You're finally ready. We're equal now. Am I correct? Has your mind caught up with my body?"

I thought he still looked a bit confused so to help I held his hand and used my gift to show him some of the examples I was talking about –

_When we were unpacking, moving into this house and I suggested we get our own place on our next move, you were so stunned you broke the lamp you were holding. _

_After Embry's court hearing, when Sam suggested that we might be together, you growled at him. _

_At my birthday dinner, that followed, and Quil teased that we ran off and got married because our fake documents both had us listed as Wolfe for a surname, and you laughed at the mere possibility. _

_When I asked you to strip (and phase), to use your expandable shorts to carry the wood I gathered to carve a replacement chess piece and you practically became comatose. _

_You pointing out to me that I must have a soul, since I was your soulmate and I reminded you that that meant I would also have to be your Mate, too and you just gave me a look that I was being ridiculous for even suggesting it. _

_You thinking I was silly for wanting to wear six inch heels to be closer to you, just as you wanted to take all of your college classes with me, to protect me from dangerous human males – not that they could ever even touch me. _

_When I _mistakenly _told Rob and Andy at school that we were sleeping together and you freaked out. _

_The end of a dream, you saw about Nahuel and I, when I just barely referred to you being in its beginning. (_Hmmm, maybe I shouldn't have reminded him of that one.)

_When I revealed that I liked what I had seen, when you shorts went up in flames, all those years ago, and you became apologetic, instead of the positive reaction I was hoping for. _

Needing _you in bed, time and again; most recently that first night Jennifer arrived. _

_My suggestion of making a twin bed as a school project, for any future child we might have, and you couldn't even imagine who it might be for. _

_The make-out session that never happened after our movie night, before Nahuel walked in, and out, on us. _

_One of my favorites was your unthinking __groping me in the forest after I… um, hid your wood. _(I had to chuckle at that one.)

_When you played Sweet Caroline outside one night and I was ogling your chest after. That was actually more for Nahuel's benefit… trying to get him to catch me staring at you, but honestly I enjoy the view just as well._

_And most__ recently, my unsuccessfully strawberry kiss attempt. _

But there were dozens of other examples I had initiated or, more accurately, instigated.

"Nessie... um... weren't some of those examples from when you were with Nahuel?" I just nodded guiltily, knowing what he was thinking. "Why were you trying to start something with me, if you were with him?"

"Being with Nahuel was a huge mistake. I'd tried to get him to leave me for a while; it just took longer than I thought. You were there the day I talked to my mom, before she and my father left for their extended anniversary. You heard me tell her that I needed to find a way to get rid of him, that I only wanted a life with you."

"Oh. I... Nessie I thought..." It looked like a light bulb went off in his head. "I thought you wanted him and were trying to find a way to get me to leave, if I couldn't get along with him."

"Of course not My Jacob, I love you." My father told me Jake had something _backwards_ the night he and my mother returned from Isle Esme. At the time I thought he meant that Jake just wanted to be my friend, not my lover, but when I confronted Jake about it, he assured me he wanted a romantic relationship... eventually.

After giving both of us a minute to process everything I began again. "You haven't seemed ready for us before. Are you really sure you're ready now?"

"Does this answer your question?" Jake asked, as he placed a gentle kiss on my lips. His lips were soft, yet firm, perfect, really. It was like an electric spark passed between us when our lips met. This never happened with Nahuel, not that we had kissed much. Being kissed by Jacob was magical.

I wanted more so I pressed my lips back to his and deepened the kiss. I was so happy when he didn't stop me but intensified our kiss even more. His hands began gently touching the tips of mine, then traveled upwards, caressing my arms, up the insides of my elbows, to my shoulders, before weaving through my now (thanks to him) silky hair. Not to be left out I wrapped my arms around his neck, moved my hands through his hair then let one slide, lightly down his neck. I could tell he enjoyed it because his mouth opened and as I followed his lead his tongue began dancing with mine. Just gently at first, but the more my nails dug through his hair the quicker our tongues danced.

Wow!

But like all good things, eventually we had to stop when I let out an involuntary yawn. I didn't mean to, but couldn't stop myself. It was so late, and I was tired. I hope he didn't think that my kissing him was boring, because it was anything but.

Thank goodness he didn't seem upset, but then I realized I had one of my hands on the bare skin of his neck. He must have heard me.

"I did, and it's fine. I would like to think I'm not that out of practice," he chuckled again. "I know it's been a few years; maybe you could help me improve by letting me kiss you some more, if I was really putting you to sleep." He couldn't seem to stop smiling. I couldn't either. He looked even more handsome when he smiled, if that were possible. His whole face lit up.

I was about to say something witty back when my body betrayed me again and another yawn escaped my mouth.

"Nessie, come on sweetheart, let's get some sleep," he said, breaking apart from me, but didn't let go completely, grabbing my hand and leading me over to our bed. "Hmmm?" Jake grumbled under his breath, but loudly enough that I could hear it.

"What's wrong?" I asked but he just paused at the edge of the bed and was now standing almost as still as a Vampire.

"Just waiting to see if your father is about to barge through the door."

After a minute, when nothing happened he must have decided that my parents were either not home or were fine with tonight's developments. But suddenly I was nervous again. Was Jake really ready? For this? For us?

"I've actually been ready for over a year now, honey." Of course he heard me again; I was still holding his hand. I usually didn't have this much trouble controlling my gift. I guess I was more than a little distracted tonight. "But you were with Nahuel by the time my slow Werewolf brain decided to finally start working," he murmured after quickly kissing me again.

I climbed in next to him. "I'm sorry." I didn't want him making excuses. I was the one who kept us apart, not him. "I wish I could go back and never even give Nahuel a second thought."

"No, honey. In a way it was good that I didn't notice you had grown up right away. You needed to be with Nahuel in order to make an informed decision. I could never fault you for that. Most people date several people, or more, over the course of their lives before settling down. I wouldn't want you spending the rest of eternity wondering if you were missing out on something. Please just don't worry about it. I'm fine. And now I'm happier than I've ever been," he shrugged.

"I don't deserve you," I said out loud, and then added with my gift, _but am glad that I have you. _

I started to kiss him again. Mmmm, heaven. But stopped as I came to the realization that another yawn threatened to interrupt us once again. And Jake was probably still grappling with his realization about the two of us.

"Sleep?" he questioned with a smirk, just after I started half yawning, half laughing.

"Sleep," I agreed. More like_ to-be-continued later_ though.

We began to fall asleep, facing each other, as we always had... almost. Just before I nodded off I slipped my fingers under his shirt, the tips just barely grazing his stomach; it was enough... for now. Or at least I thought it was. Jacob seemed to be on the same page I was... finally. In one swift movement he flipped me over so that we were spooning, a first for us when we went to sleep. On more than one occasion we would wake up like this, usually much to one, or both, of our embarrassments. I don't know why. We were in essentially the same position when I would sit in his lap, yet now, lying down, in a bed... yikes!

As he held me, he mirrored my former actions and took it a step further, flattening his entire hand under my night shirt, onto my stomach. It felt amazing. As his hand touched my bare skin it sent a jolt of electricity through my body. This was how we were supposed to be. This is what I had been craving for months… years. But it was all I would get for now; for tonight this had to be enough. Yet the heat, the closeness, the intimacy... I couldn't wait to see where our new relationship would go tomorrow.


	26. Christmas Morning

**The Blue Moon**

* * *

**Year Six, Chapter Twenty-Six**

**Christmas Morning **

* * *

Renesmee's Point of View

* * *

It was Christmas-eve and for the first time ever I was completely happy at this time of year. My initial plan was to just get through the holiday without having a panic attack, so Jake could celebrate. I know he loved christmas and I didn't want to continue to ruin it for him. But know everything was different.

Sure I was waking up in bed, wrapped in Jake's arms, like always, but now we were together. He was still asleep, as far as I could tell, his hand still on my stomach. I don't think either of us had moved an inch all night. Last night was almost too good to be true, what with Jacob finally returning my affections for him, and my parents not barging in to stop us, not that we did anything; not really. We'd just kissed a little before going to sleep.

And now waking up beside him, in his arms… we'd woken up in this position before, but now instead of feeling awkward, I wanted more. Or I did until I spotted my parents lurking in our bedroom door way.

"We're waiting, not lurking," my father corrected. "Now that you're awake come in to the living room for a minute. Your mother and I would like to have a word with you." Just as I feared, now that I finally had Jacob, he was about to be ripped away from me by my overprotective parents. They were here to take away our utopia.

No! I was determined. We belonged together. We were both adults. There was no reason to tear us apart, despite my father's obtuse, overly conservative, old fashioned sense of morality, which I shared no such belief in.

"Renesmee, we're very happy for both of you, we just wanted to talk to you about a few things. Just come and talk with us for a minute." He looked sincere, but my mother looked as if she was trying to hide something. I thought it was a smile, but that couldn't be right.

"Alright," I replied, the suspicion creeped heavily into my voice, while I tried my best to hide the anger that was building inside me.

When the three of us were in the living room, my father began. "I think it might be a good thing for the two of you to separate for awhile, just at night, while you both get use to your new status and go back to individual bedrooms for a while."

I knew it. "The two of you slept together when you were dating."

"Technically, only Bella slept, I just -"

"That's not the point," I cut my father off, "and you know it. And I don't see the difference."

"This is a lot for Jake to take in. It's a big change for him... and you," my mother tried to reason with me.

"Is this your way of telling me you don't want me to sleep with... or rather... to become intimate with him?" Both of my parents cringe slightly, but I needed to hear the truth.

"No, honey. We won't stop you, but hope you BOTH to wait until you're truly ready. Please believe us when we say we think it would be best if the two of you got some breathing room first."

"Fine, I'll consider talking to Jacob about it, JUST to see what he thinks, but I don't think it'll be necessary. Let me handle it, I don't want you upsetting him." _Or try to intimidate him. _"Don't say anything to Jake."

My father pinched the bridge of his nose. I sighed in relief knowing this was the sign that he was giving in. "Alright, just do both of yourselves a favor and go slow. This is a lot for Jacob to take in."

Was this really going to be too much for Jake? Or my father?

"Currently Jacob is overjoyed and incredibly happy about the current situation," that wasn't a denial on my fathers part, "but I have a feeling that this is soon going to become overwhelming for him."

"For you too," my mother added in.

"I've been trying to get him to feel this way about me for three years, mom."

"Yes and now that it has happened, do you really what to do anything that would risk ruining it?" she asked sympathetically.

"Okay, I already promised I'll discuss it with him. I will," maybe.

"I'm going to hold you to that," my father said hearing my backtracking. I guess I was really going to have to talk to him now, however pointless it would be. "Why don't you go back in there quickly, before Jacob wakes up," he then suggested.

Just as my father predicted, moments after I creeped back into my spot beside Jacob, he began to stir.

"Good morning honey," I said as he opened his eyes and I gave him a quick peck on his lips.

"Mmmm, I thought last night was a dream," he smirked, wrapping his arms even tighter around me.

"Nope, it was much better than a dream," I responded, kissing him again. He responded just as I hoped, rolling us so he was now on top of me, and continued where we left off last night, just horizontal this time.

"Ah hmm!" my father curtly cleared his throat from our bedroom doorway. Of course, my mother was right beside him. What were they doing? I was going to talk to Jake, but he just woke up.

As soon as Jake saw them though, he practically flung himself off of me. I grabbed his arm to at least prevent him from attacking my father, or jumping out the window, or whatever he was planning.

"Jacob, please don't be alarmed. We're sorry to interrupt you, but Bella and I just wanted to congratulate you on finally getting together." Since they already talked to me, I had a feeling this chat, just like my father's calm face was just for show. And to remind me to talk to Jake ASAP.

"Oh, um, thanks," Jake said, rather mystified, but was calming down nonetheless.

"We'll see you in a bit. I think a celebratory breakfast is in order," my mother declared. She always seemed to cook when emotions were high, not that she ever ate any of it. Or it could be her way of getting us to stop what we had been doing.

This wasn't exactly subtle on their part. But I didn't expect it to be that easy. And I think Jake was just glad he was still in one piece.

After my parents left, as quickly as they came, I kept my promise and talked to Jake about the points they brought up.

Part of me was worried that the Imprint would make him go along with whatever I wanted, instead of what he thought was best for us, but another part of me didn't think he would really be able to do something that was just what I wanted in the present, if it was truly bad for me, or us, overall. I asked him what he wanted, before letting him know my feelings, in an attempt to not unduly influence him.

Jake listened to everything I had to say, but in the end was as unwilling to leave me at night as I was to have him go.

This was a weird morning, and afternoon. Actually the whole day was not as smooth going as I had hoped. But Jacob and I were together. So it didn't matter.

* * *

Jake woke me up the next morning with a kiss. "Merry Christmas," he said through his huge grin.

Okay, I could do this. And Jake's kisses made it a million times easier. Yesterday's calm had slowly faded away as the hours wore on and the actual holiday approached. I know my new relationship status with Jake was just masking the inevitable panic that this day normally brought, but I had hoped it wouldn't have manifested until later.

I just needed to take some deep breaths and try to relax. I was the one who told my family that I wanted to try and celebrate the holiday this year. Aunt Alice and Grandma Esme had organized the decoration of the houses last week. Since I was trying to ease back into the holiday they had gone easy with the decorations at my house, but my grandparents' house, the one we would actually be celebrating in, had received the complete Aunt Alice experience. The house was worse than a Hallmark Christmas card _AND_ movie combined.

Deep breath. Today was no different than any other day, or holiday… technically. I could do this. "Merry Christmas, my Jacob." I responded with my own kiss. And another and another.

We had celebrated various other holidays over the years - Halloween, the 4th of July, Easter, Mothers and Fathers Days. I could enjoy those with no problem.

Never Thanksgiving though. Everyone I knew just ignored the day back in Washington. It was a holiday that solely revolved around eating human food so my family had never been big on it, obviously. The only way I even knew about it, before coming to New Hampshire was from movies and books. But it was considered a Day of Mourning at Dartmouth, and for most Native Americans. I hadn't even realized Jake, or anyone else from La Push, felt that way until I started school last year. Apparently it was a big deal for Native Americans in protest of their disgraceful treatment and genocide by white settlers of the past.

Human history is littered with tales of this type of hatred and extermination by one group of people on anyone different than themselves - like the Volturi, when they wanted to eliminate me for being an unknown.

Christmas was the closest holiday to the anniversary of their assassination attempt of me. It was why I had such a problem with today. But that was the past and I was determined to get through the day without fear of some unconscious demons manifested from my own mind. The Volturi were not after me anymore. No one was. Today was supposed to be a happy day.

Jake and I were in love and finally together. I wasn't going to ruin this for him.

After we had gotten up, showered, and dressed, we gathered our gifts for everyone and headed to my grandparents place, where everyone was waiting for us. My Grandpa and Sue and her kids were planning on driving over from the hotel around 10am.

What time was it even?

As I glanced at the clock on the wall I saw we were already late. I guess our make out session lasted longer than I thought.

Aunt Alice hadn't burst into our room and dragged us out so my parents must have told everyone what was going on with us. I wasn't sure if I should be embarrassed or thankful, but as Jake and I walked, hand in hand, into my grandparents' house, I just looked at the floor and apologized for being late, before adding our presents to the pile under the tree.

Apparently I was going to be a confusing mix of happy, scared, and embarrassed today. Going public with our new relationship seemed to be replacing some of the holiday's anxiety, but in a weird way I was looking at it as a good thing… I think.

* * *

Jacob's Point of View

* * *

Nessie and I spent yesterday afternoon buying some small gifts for Seth, Leah, Charlie and Sue. Nothing too big, just something to open.

The Cullen's and I had always mailed presents to their home every year. They had probably been delivered by FedEx, or something. I hated thinking that they were sitting on their doorstep, exposed to the elements, so I had given Paul a call and asked him to swing by and take care of them.

While they were busy opening their presents I gave Nessie her gift; the bracelet I'd been working on for a while now. It's funny, ever since my realization and the consequential change in our relationship, that incident in the woods where Nessie playfully stole the piece of wood I would eventually carve this bracelet into, took on a whole new meaning. I think I liked it more now than I did last week.

Knowing now, not only that Nessie loved me, but that she was _in love_ with me, just that small distinction, made a world of difference.

After professing how much she loved her bracelet while I helped her put it on her wrist, she gave me my gift. Opening the rather large box I saw it was a signature Ferrari prancing horse grill piece for my car. It was the one I'd been looking for, for a while now; it was the only thing missing from the car.

"How did you... Where'd you... How long…" I was stunned and couldn't form a coherent sentence. We'd spent hours and hours online, and on the phone, scouring every Ferrari dealership, used car lot, eBay, Craig's List, any place I could think of to find the one I wanted, with no luck. I'd given up awhile ago. And yet when I opened the box, from my beloved, on Christmas morning, it was right there in front of me. How had she done this?

"Ferrari Aficionados chat rooms," she replied, figuring out what my incoherent ramblings were trying to ask.

"Thank you so much, sweetheart." She deserved so much more than a simple thank you, but that was all I was able to mutter as I rotated the grill over and over in my hands. It must have taken her forever to find it. Much more than I was willing to, but of course that's why Nessie was so amazing.

"You're welcome, honey," she said as she closed the small space on the couch, between us and placed a sweet kiss on my lips. Well, it started out sweet, but I couldn't help myself and got a bit carried away. The grill fell to the floor with a bang, but we didn't stop.

"Whoa, looks like Jake might be getting another Christmas present tonight." Of course Emmett had to go and ruin the moment, which got more than a few growls from around the room and a well deserved slap on the back of his head from Rose.

Apparently Edward hadn't told the family about the change in our relationship, not that I cared, but once I looked somewhere other than my angels face I saw that most of the family looked stunned, yet happy. And out of the corner of my eye I caught the look on Charlie's face. It was somewhere between confusion, (but so did a few others in the house) fury, (I had just kissed his granddaughter after all) and repulsion (that one wasn't good).

"Hey, what the hell is going on here?" he yelled, leaping out of his seat and stomping his foot. In any other situation seeing a grown man stomp like that would have been funny, but I currently couldn't see the humor in it. "Jake you're a good guy and all but what the hell are you doing?" He never let me respond though, as he kept yelling, his face getting redder and redder the longer he went on. "Bella, Edward, you're not allowing what I think you're allowing are you? I know Nessie looks twenty-one, but she's only five years old, no matter how fast she grows. This is completely inappropriate and _illegal_," he shouted.

"Grandpa, last night you offered me a beer. How could I be old enough to drink, but too young to kiss my soulmate?" Nessie tried reasoning with him.

"Soulmate?" Charlie screamed. "What kind of crap are you feeding this kid?"

"Dad, it's alright." Bella said, and soon everyone joined in, trying to calm Charlie down and explain things, including the concept of Imprinting.

Well not everyone. I needed to make sure Nessie was okay and that nothing Charlie said had upset her. Thankfully she was fine and I even got a congratulatory arm punch from Leah.

Before too long everything settled back down and everyone continued to open presents. Charlie still didn't look completely happy, but I don't think he'd be arresting me for pedophilia any time soon.

As Esme and Carlisle gave everyone their gifts I tried one more time to find out how it was even possible that she found the car grill the first place. "When did you even have time to look? We were always together."

"I got it months ago. I was searching, and searching, and searching for it while we were doing our homework. Actually you were doing homework; I would zip through mine and then secretly check for it online. And you weren't with me all the time back then. I also looked sometimes while Nahuel and I had our scheduled time together."

"He didn't mind that you were doing that?" It seemed unlikely. Where was he even?

"Nahuel returned home to his Aunt's to celebrate the holiday with her," Edward whispered to me. "While he's still worried about his father, he didn't want to upset her; she's like a mother to him, after all. He should be back in a few days."

"Nahuel didn't really pay that much attention to what I was doing on my laptop. He never had much contact with computers in South America and I don't think he really knew or cared what I was doing." Nessie explained. "I tried talking to him about different technologies like iPods, laptops, GPS navigation… stuff like that, but he made himself clear that he wasn't interested in learning anything about modern tech. The only reason he learned how to drive was because you guys," she pointed to Bella and Edward, "made it clear that he had to. I think, after hearing him go on and on about it, he's opposed to most things that reminded him of his father. Technology being one of them."

"Shocking the two of you didn't work out." Emmett said to Nessie, to which Jasper, Rose, and even Leah started chuckling with him.


	27. Reconciliation

**The Blue Moon**

* * *

**Year Six, Chapter Twenty-Seven**

**Reconciliation**

* * *

Jacob's Point of View

* * *

Nessie and I were making out in her room... again. It was our new favorite activity. It'd been a week since our first kiss and things were wonderful. I don't think I've been so happy since the day she was born.

Yet at the same time I was feeling a little guilty. Our new relationship status shouldn't just be about the physical. I should take her out on a date or something. But weren't dates more like _getting-to-know-you_ activities? We already knew everything about each other. Nevertheless I promised myself I would plan a night out for the two of us. Soon.

It's not like all we did now was make-out at the time though. We'd spent much of the past week helping Seth and Leah move into their new place, with Seth's Imprint, Carol. Much to my relief she seemed fine being around Nessie.

Well, no, not right away. The first morning we'd gone over she was visibly nervous and refused to leave Seth's side, but by lunchtime she'd calmed down. Nessie thought it would be a good idea to show her how _non-scary_ she was and had managed to force down a Taco Carol made for everyone, just to add to the human touch. It worked, especially after Nessie complemented Carol on her cooking skills. It was a lie, Nessie hated human food, especially cooked meats, but she didn't let Carol know that, and they were on their way to being friends.

After lunch, while we were unpacking Seth's stuff, he and Leah re-told me what they already tried to, but I missed, when we were all phased the day before Christmas Eve. I was so out of it at the time, finding out about Nessie's feelings for me, I couldn't recall a single thing they'd said. It turns out they just wanted to let me know that with all of the Imprinted Wolves, there was probably going to be a population explosion in La Push, most likely starting in the next few years. Apparently a lot of the younger Wolves, even those who gave up phasing, Imprinted over the past few years. The only ones left who hadn't, _yet_, were Leah, Brady, and two of the younger Wolves.

After my Nessie_ breakthrough_, as I liked to call it, (well I guess I really have Seth and Leah to thank for that) Edward and Bella had come to talk to the two of us the next morning. I was assuming that they were going to give us some sort of "no sex before marriage" talk and make us go back to sleeping in separate bedrooms, but they never mentioned anything like that. Which was good, because now that we were finally together I didn't want to be apart from my angel for a second; and as far as I knew, Nessie hadn't changed her mind about marriage.

Bella and Edward just wanted to congratulate us for finally getting together, which shocked me to no end. But with everything Nessie had already done with Nahuel it didn't seem to matter anymore to Edward. I guess as long as Nessie was happy, and I would spend the rest of forever trying to make her so, then they were happy, too.

Okay. If I was going to be completely honest with myself, I was sure that this open, understanding Edward wasn't going to last much longer. Especially with the four of us living under the same roof. I was bound to think of things about his daughter that he didn't appreciate.

I'd just have to wait and see. And deal with whatever happens. But so far, so good.

Nessie and I shared a wonderful New Years Eve kiss last night at the local fireworks display. All the Cullens went. As the countdown from ten started I had grabbed Nessie's hand and jogged us quickly away from the crowds so we could have some privacy. On the count of one Nessie and I were wrapped in a passionate kiss that was a little too hot for being in public. When we rejoined the family I thought Edward would have, at the very least, given me a disapproving look, but he didn't.

2012 looked like it was going to be a wonderful year.

But right now, as happy as I was, I was also frustrated. Don't get me wrong, making out with Nessie was great, but we weren't just kissing anymore. It had been years since I'd done anything like this and I was definitely out of practice.

In truth I'd only kissed one other girl, Bella. She was the beginning and end of my sexual experience with women. And that was seven long years ago. We'd kissed twice, only one resembled anything that could be construed as successful and that was only because I'd tricked her. My first, real kiss was with Nessie, the love of my life, my soulmate, my everything. And now I was screwing tonight up big time. What was I supposed to do? I was a twenty-one year old virgin.

We were both in our underwear, which I had stripped both of us down to before we even made it to the bed, but now I was struggling with her bra clasp. I was trying my best, but I couldn't get my hands to do what I needed them to. Did she superglue the thing together? I didn't think she had, since she seemed happy that I was at least attempting to remove the offensive piece of fabric. This was so frustrating. My fingers were too big and the clasp was ridiculously tiny. Sure I could probably figure it out if I looked, but that would mean that I'd have to stop kissing Nessie and I had no intention of doing that. Just then an image appeared in my head, from Nessie, showing me exactly how to undo her bra.

_Yeah that's what I'm trying to do_, I huffed to myself but either accidentally said it out loud or Nessie still felt my frustration.

"Here, why don't you let me do that for you," she suggested looking rather smug as she took her hands off mine, and moved them to her back.

"Nessie, I'm sorry I'm so bad at this, you might have to lead me."

She stopped what she was doing, leaving her bra where it was. "What are you talking about Jake? We've never done anything like this before." Nessie looked almost as embarrassed as I felt.

Now I was confused. It was true, WE had never done anything like this before, but she had, and a lot more. It wasn't really that different with me, was it?

"But you have, you know... with Nahuel." I didn't really want to mention his name right now, but something was off.

Now it seemed it was her turn to look confused. "What are you talking about, Jake?"

Huh? I started recalling what I had seen the morning after their first time together, when I witnessed him leaving her room, but she still looked confused. "Nahuel... said he took something that was mine. He was in your room all night. And was redressing, pulling on a shirt," _my_ shirt! "as he was leaving. Um... wasn't that... um... _you,_ that he... err... _took_?"

She looked like she was thinking hard, trying to figure out what I might be referring to. Having perfect recall probably really helped in these types of situations. A second later she actually started laughing.

"Oh, my poor Jacob. You must have gone through hell thinking I had been with Nahuel like that." She stopped her laughter immediately.

"Huh?"

"Jake, no. We had been up all night, just _talking_. When he noticed that the sun was rising he started to leave. I went to lie down and get some sleep, but we were both so tired that we bumped into each other and knocked over a plant. The dirt flew out and soiled his shirt, so I gave him one of yours to wear. That's why he was putting it on as he was leaving."

Wow! I wasn't sure what to think at the moment. Confusion? Relief? More confusion? "So you didn't... you know... with him?"

"Jake, I never had sex with Nahuel, that night or ever," she signed. "But thanks for the possessiveness." Nessie added with a smirk, I guess hoping to break some of the tension.

"So if you two weren't… can I ask what you were talking about all night long?"

"You know you could have avoided all of that turmoil and misunderstanding if you'd just let me show you back then," she said as she grabbed my hand with hers and used her gift and started to give me a quick replay of what really happened.

As soon as she and Nahuel entered the bedroom that night, I saw how he was all over her, his tongue practically shoved down her throat.

Shoving her hand off of me, I nearly shouted "Nessie, I don't want to see that!" Even if they hadn't had sex, I didn't want to see whatever they DID do.

"I'm sorry, but please trust me, it will be worth it," she replied, hovering her hand over mine, waiting for me to agree. I braced myself, before nodding that she could continue. Whatever it was she really seemed to want to show me, so I would just need to deal with it, whatever _it_ was.

She put her hand back in mine and picked up where she left off. They were moving toward the bed and I heard Nahuel make some offhanded comment about how I must have been in the room recently and how strongly my scent still lingered. When they moved onto the bed I could see how stiffly he froze. He had asked Nessie why my scent was strongest there. If I wasn't so repulsed I might have chuckled when she showed me his face as she told him that it was because that was where I slept. He was on my side of the bed, so naturally my smell would be at its strongest there.

The next part of their conversation got me thinking.

Nahuel half-bewildered/half-angered asked her how long we'd been _sleeping_ together.

Nessie started to explain to Nahuel how I had always stayed with her at night when she was younger because of her nightmares, but then Bella and Edward had put a stop to it when she got older and it was seen as inappropriate. Then she finished with our current "sleeping" situation, where we had gone to talk to her parents one morning. (_I_ knew it was after the small Volturi visit but she didn't show that to Nahuel) and her parents agreed to let us resume sleeping together.

She then showed me a replay, within the replay, of what she had revealed to Nahuel with her gift. It was more than a little strange seeing my own past through her eyes and not my own.

* * *

"_Nothing happened," _I had said to Bella and Edward back then, as Nessie and I left her bedroom the morning after the Volturi left, and walked towards where her parents were sitting on the living room couch.

"_We still need to talk to you, Jake," _Bella had frowned.

"_That's not true, Jacob and you know it." _Hmmm, I remember that look of disbelief that was on my face when I heard her say that.

"_Jacob, I needed you last night and you were there for me. You were there for me when and how I needed you, just like you have always been. You were perfect. Everything about last night was perfect," _Nessie had said before placing a kiss on my cheek and going to sit next to Bella.

"_Mom, dad, I can't and won't continue to sleep without Jacob. He belongs in my bed, with me. I love Jacob and I need him there." _

I think, she may have skipped something after that, but I couldn't remember what. But if she didn't show Nahuel it must have not been important.

"_For now but things could change, you could change your mind," _Edward had grumbled.

"_Don't you trust me?" _

"_After what happened last summer I'm not sure if that's possible." _Bella was referring to the fiasco after our movie night, when Nessie looked to be around thirteen, but Nahuel would not have known what had happened and it didn't seem like Nessie had bothered to explain it either.

"_That was a mistake, I know, but not for the reasons you think. I know you thought I was too young then. But I'm older and wiser now. Just look at me. I'm physically seventeen years old. I look like I'm the same age as you, dad. And I'm 5'7", that's taller than you, mom. You've let me take college classes online and next year I'll be going to school with you." _

"_Looks can be deceiving," _Bella had said.

"_Yes, they can. Mentally I have been as smart as an adult since my first birthday." _

"_Book smart yes, but life experiences wise, I think not," _Edward had objected.

"_What do you think Grandma Esme was doing, with me, and her social training, while you were attending high school? She knew I needed to be prepared for life sooner than you realized. And she managed to squeeze in almost a lifetime of experiences into two years, pretty successfully I believe." _

"_Nessie, I'm sorry, I don't think you two should be sleeping together." _

"_Dad, I'm sleeping with Jacob and that's final." _

"_Really? And what about what Jake wants?" _Bella had questioned. But really she should have known, I want what Nessie wants, always.

"_Jacob feels the same as I do." _

"_Things could change. You could change your mind in the future," _Edward had countered, again.

"_It just seemed like you assumed we'll end up together. Don't you think I would follow the same path most other Imprints did with their Wolves." _That part of the conversation had confused me. I wondered then, as I did now, what else she had shared with them using her gift.

"_Of course sweetheart, but it is your choice. We just want to protect you," _Bella had whispered.

"_Protect me? Jacob protects me. He would never do anything that wasn't what was best for me. Which is why we should be allowed to sleep together. You know that's how Imprinting works. He wants what I want and need, right?"_

"_Theoretically," _Edward replied. "_But I'm still concerned about what happened last summer." _

"_I know. But you see there is nothing for you to be concerned about, now. And I would hope that you would be happy for me." _Clearly, she must have thought more in her head than she said out loud back then, because without another word Edward agreed… reluctantly.

* * *

That was the end of the flashback that she showed me. But it wasn't all that had happened. Nessie's version, that she showed Nahuel skipped the condition that my staying with her was only until her nightmares disappeared, and Edward would be watching us to make sure there was nothing inappropriate going on.

It seemed obvious to me, now that I had seen a replay of that night, and Nahuel's uncomfortable attitude since then, that he had been unintentionally led to believe that Nessie and I had a sexual relationship. As smart as she was, Nessie seemed somehow oblivious to that fact.

Now I was faced with an ethical dilemma. I was moments away from really being with Nessie and getting everything I had ever wanted, if I just kept my mouth shut. But was it right? Nahuel had left Nessie over a misunderstanding.

Was it right to potentially split us up if Nessie was happy, especially when the outcome with Nahuel was an uncertainty? But was she? Sure she seemed happy with me, but I didn't want to be a consolation prize. If Nessie really preferred Nahuel it wasn't right for me to keep them apart. She might be happier with him, once he knew we weren't together like he thought.

But did she really love him? I know she had mentioned things she didn't like about him – his borderline hatred of technology, among other things. She had written a pretty long Cons column on her Pros/Cons list for him after all, but it could have just been excuses to console herself with his absence.

I needed to talk this over with the only person whose feelings I actually cared about - hers, then I would just have to deal with the aftermath, if things went against me.

This was going to be the hardest conversation I've ever had in my entire life. I took a deep breath and then began. "Renesmee, thank you for showing me that. It clarified a lot of things for me, but I'm afraid we might have a problem."

"What is it, my Jacob?" she smiled so sweetly at me.

"Okay, how should I begin?" I asked myself out loud.

"Just say whatever you need to say."

"Alright." Deep breath. "If you could choose between Nahuel and me who would you pick, if you could only have one of us?" Not wanting to upset her, I forced a smile on my face.

"What are you talking about? I already picked you, silly," she smiled back.

"Yes but that wasn't really a choice between the two of us, it was between you being with me, or me and Nahuel."

"Isn't that the same thing, my Jacob? That's my only choice; either I live my life with you, or with you and Nahuel. I told him the same thing. It would hurt too much not to have you in my life, I love you, but I can live without him."

It killed me to think it, let alone say what I was about to, but I had to. "I'm sure you could learn to live without me over time Nessie. I love you too, and I don't want to leave you, but I want you to do what is right for you."

"But I love YOU, my Jacob. Not him. I don't want him. We're too different. That's why I intentionally gave Nahuel the wrong idea about our relationship," she said, pointing back and forth between the two of us.

"Huh?" Intentionally?

She looked a little guilty now. "I kind of made him believe that you and I were more intimate than we were; the way I really wanted us to be. It would have never worked out with him. I love you too much. And I hoped it would scare him off. I learned how possessive he was and how he would never be willing to share me, so that was the only choice I gave him."

I just sat there dumbfounded as she continued.

"You see, I needed to give him a reason to let me go. He had already told me how persistent he would be and would not give up until I was his, so I gave him a reason to leave me, himself."

Oh!

"I'm so sorry I put you through that, Jake, but I know how strong you are and that you'd be able to handle it; I just hadn't counted on it taking so long. And I never thought that you would think that Nahuel's and my relationship had turned sexual. I would never do that to you. I kept telling you, over and over again, back then, that I loved you and we would always be together, so this wouldn't happen."

Really? She really wanted me? But instead of feeling as amazingly happy as I should be after her revelation, I was angry. Not at her. Never at her. But that she had had to go through all of that. It was such an elaborate deception. And I had done nothing about it. I should have known better. She was my Imprint, I was supposed to protect her and I had failed.

"Nessie, no. Don't apologize. I should have been the one to deal with Nahuel. You should never have had to put yourself in that situation." I was so angry at him and I know it seeped into my voice. I needed to calm down. I didn't want Nessie, my Nessie, thinking I was mad at her.

"My Jacob, I was perfectly capable of handling Nahuel, and not every situation needs to be resolved with violence. He didn't deserve to die just because he was a bit obsessed with me."

"I wouldn't have killed him, honey. I might have just ripped off a certain part of his anatomy that would have made sure that he wouldn't bother you anymore," I said with a smirk.

"Ha, ha," Nessie chuckled dryly, but with a warm smile. "Well, now you don't need to. Is there anything else you're confused about? You don't think I'm in love with anyone else do you?"

"No honey. And I'm sorry; I doubted your love for me. Forgive me?

"Of course," she said with a kiss. "You're my soulmate. Remember?"

"I didn't think you could love me as much as I love you. I was wrong and I don't deserve you." I kissed her back.

"Nonsense, Jake. We're perfect together. Right?"

"Definitely."

"Now where were we?" she asked as she leaned in for yet another kiss.

While I was happy she hadn't slept with Nahuel, I was well aware that they had been together for months after their night of tonsil hockey, I'm sure they must have come close. But as she and I kept going tonight, progressing our physical relationship forward even further, things still seemed off a bit. What if I was wrong?

"Um, Nessie, if you don't mind could you tell me one more thing?" I asked, momentarily breaking our kisses just long enough to get the words out.

"Uh huh," she moaned back, mid kiss.

Now I was going to have to stop our make out session to actually ask my question. "Err..." this was a lot easier when I wasn't looking directly at her, "exactly how far did you go... with Nahuel?" I asked, pretty much ruining the mood, again.

She looked embarrassed but used her gift and in rapid succession, I saw images of their end of the night kisses flash through my head.

Was that it? "Nothing more?"

She nodded her head. "Well, um... we made out a few other times," I then saw a few instances, nowhere near the level of intimacy of what we had just been doing, "but I think every time we got too close he would smell you on me and back away. Not that I was upset by that. Why?"

That was it? Gulp! I needed to slow things down. This was moving too fast. For both of us. As I began covering Nessie up with the bed sheet, she gave me a horrified expression. It's not like she was naked... yet, but we were both in our underwear and I could feel that she thought I was rejecting her.

"No, Nessie. I still want to be with you. That's not why I'm stopping us right now. I just think we need to slow down a bit." Okay, a lot. "This is new for both of us and we shouldn't go too fast."

"Too fast? Jacob I've been waiting for you for three years."

"Yes, but wanting and having are different."

"Jacob Black, don't you dare say I'm still too young," she practically yelled at me.

"No that wasn't what I was going to say. I know you're old enough, that's not it. It's just -" What was it? What was holding me back? I wanted her and she wanted me. I knew that now. But what? What was it?

Then it dawned on me. It wasn't her, it was me.

It felt like this, us, being together, was too good to be true. That this was something purely for me and that was what was wrong. But it wasn't true, tonight was for her as much as it was for me. I needed to stop thinking like that and get over it. If we kept going tonight, like we had been, I would get everything I had ever wanted. I would be truly happy. Didn't I deserve to be happy too?

I had spent so many years just being her friend and protector. I needed to switch into thinking more like a lover. That was it. I just stopped thinking and started doing whatever felt natural. Before I knew it, we were kissing again and it was wonderful.

The entire night was wonderful. For both of us.

* * *

Thanks for reading. please review.


	28. Sunrise

**The Blue Moon**

* * *

**Year Six, Chapter Twenty-Eight**

**Sunrise**

* * *

Jacob's Point of View

* * *

The next morning I woke up to the most beautiful sight in the world. My Nessie.

The sun was just rising and beams of light were shining off of her silky curls more brilliantly than I had ever seen before. Even after all that had happened between us, I still couldn't believe she was mine.

Though Renesmee and I hadn't been intimate last night, I now knew just how much she loved me; truly, romantically, loved me. But she wasn't ready. And I could understand that. I was fine with it… really. It was hard but in the end I was glad she stopped us, because there was no way I would have been able to. She was just too intoxicating. But there was no need to rush. We had forever. Literally. We could go as slow as she needed. And even if we didn't have sex we had done... other things. And it was amazing.

I also knew what direction we were headed in, eventually, and I needed to be prepared. I needed to go buy some protection. That was one area I definitely didn't want to be caught off guard.

I wonder what Edward would think of all of this? Sure, he had informed me that he'd reconciled himself with Nessie's decision of not wanting to wait until marriage. We all knew that would never happen; it just wasn't something she was interested in. But I couldn't see that he was truly accepting of his daughter's decision, whatever he said. And just because he was going along with her didn't mean he held me in the same regard.

Luckily, he and Bella were gone last night, searching up and down the east coast, attempting to hunt down… well _locate_ Nahuel's sisters, so I was still in one piece, for now.

The whole family left yesterday to look for them. Nessie and I were stuck on babysitting duty since Nahuel was practically confined to the Doc and Esme's place.

While nothing happened when he left to spend Christmas with his Aunt, it was agreed that in the future he should remain with us, at least somewhere on the property, until whatever was going on was resolved.

Alice and Jasper were off, searching in South America. If Nahuel's sisters were there Alice had the best chance of finding them; like she did all those years ago, discovering Nahuel and his Aunt. Carlisle and Esme had gone to Italy to see if the Volturi had any information that could help us. And they also went to see if there was any possibility, however unlikely, that _they_ were the ones behind this. Rose and Emmett went west, but knowing Rose's feelings towards Nahuel, I wasn't sure how hard they were looking, if at all.

"That feels nice," I said as Nessie ran her fingers over my side, bringing my attention back to the present. She must have just woken up.

"You're sure it doesn't hurt?" she asked me, a little sleepily, suddenly stopping her fingers.

"Why would it hurt?" I loved her touches.

"I don't know, it's a scar. I'm assuming it hurt when you got it. I didn't know if it still did."

A scar? I twisted around so I could look at the area she was just touching. "You can see that? I didn't think anyone could." It faded almost instantly after I got it, like all of my wounds, ever since I became a wolf.

"Yes," she replied, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "I always thought you'd tell me about them sometime, but you never did. I didn't want to pry," she apologized.

"It's okay. I just didn't think anyone could see them."

"Of course I can, it's as obvious as all of Uncle Jasper's. You can see his, can't you?

I knew humans had a hard time seeing Jazz's scars. They were only visible in certain light and since he tended to avoid sunlight they weren't an issue. But I didn't have human eyes and the fact that he was covered with them, even on his face was obvious. But mine… I guess it was just the fact that she never said anything, made me think that she couldn't see them. I didn't want her to be scared by them, or anything, and I guess it had given me comfort thinking that she couldn't and wasn't.

"It's just some claw marks from years ago when Paul and I got into it," I explained.

Her jaw dropped. "You fought with your brother-in-law?"

"Well, he wasn't my brother-in-law back then, but yeah, a lot of the scars on my body are from my Pack-mates, one way or another. Most are from when I first became a Wolf. New Wolves are pretty volatile when we first start phasing," I explained to her. "The littlest thing would set us off. We were all always going at each other for one thing or another. This one was from when I made a comment about Embry's girlfriend at the time," I told her as I pointed to my left calf. "This one," I pointed to the bite mark on my right wrist, "was from Quil and I getting into it over footwear." That one cost her to raise her eyebrows. "It was a stupid reason for us to fight, but new wolves and teenage hormones are never a good combination."

"And what about this one?" she asked turning my hand over to run her finger along the thin white line on my palm.

"That was actually because of Bella."

"My mother slashed your hand? She couldn't have bitten you. Was it with her nails? Why would she do that?" she asked not waiting for a reply to her first questions.

"No, nothing like that," I snickered, remembering that day seven years ago. It had made me so upset at the time but now it was actually amusing to think about. I ended up telling her the whole story about how I was holding a knife, talking to a human Bella, getting angrier and angrier at her being with Edward. Again, looking back on it now it seemed so silly.

Nessie didn't seem to think so but got over it quickly.

"And what about this one?" she asked me, grabbing the elastic bands of my boxers, to slide her finger down the scar that ran from my hip bone and ended... well lower down.

Hmmmm... This just got more interesting.

* * *

"What do you want to see first Nessie?"

Rose and Emmett came back this morning, so since we weren't the only ones home anymore, stuck babysitting Nahuel, I decided to dump him with them. Rose wasn't too happy about it, until I told her that it was so I could take her niece out on our first official date. Then she got all giddy and practically pushed us out the door.

Since we knew just about everything there was to know about each other I thought Nessie and I could just do something fun just for the sake of having fun and of all the things we used to do when she was little I can't believe we'd never thought of going to the zoo.

"The lions! I definitely want to see the lions." She looked a little happier than I thought she was going to be.

"I'm pretty sure the zoo frowns on visitors eating the animals."

"Ha, ha," she sneered at me. "I've just never seen an actual lion before. Sure bears, deer, moose, even mountain lions… all the regular animals to see in North America, I see all the time," she said, licking her lips after a couple of them. "But I've never seen an actual lion; you know the ones with manes."

"Sure, sure," I said as I located where they were on the map and begin walking us in their direction. They weren't too far away, just a few exhibits in. Halfway there I got sidetracked when the smell of something delicious hit my nose.

"Hey, let's hit that food cart first." I hadn't had a chili cheese dog in years. As good of cooks as Bella and Esme were, they couldn't stand the smell and vetoed cooking them for me. I tried to make them a few times myself, but the results were disappointing.

"Two please," I said to the guy, pointing to what I wanted.

"Whada ya want on 'em?"

"Fully loaded."

"Anythin else? Drinks?" the guy asked.

"Just water, for me," Nessie replied, scrunching her nose at the sight of the man piling the hotdogs high with chili, onions, cheese, bacon, and sour cream.

"Come on, you have to try one. Just a bite? For me?" Knowing her preferences for blood, and her tolerance for fruit and undercooked meat, I wasn't holding out a lot of hope that she would like it, but stranger things have happened.

"I don't know, it doesn't look too appetizing and the smell," she said, sniffing quickly. "What's that?"

"What?"

"That sweet smell. Peaches and watermelon." She started looking around.

I didn't see any other food carts nearby.

"It can't be… she can't be here," Nessie said looking up now. "It's too sunny."

"Who? Who can't be here, Nessie."

She grabbed my hand and used her gift to show me a picture of a red eyed vampire. That was what she had smelled.

"Let's go," I started pulling her hand that was still in mine.

_But it's just Zafrina, she won't hurt me, _Nessie said in my head, before we had taken a single step.

"Who?" So it wasn't the Volturi?

Nessie sent me an image from when Carlisle had gathered his Vampire friends to witness against the Volturi, back when Nessie was just a toddler. Now I remembered. She was the one who could make people see whatever she wanted. While Nessie really liked her and her "Pretty Pictures" as Nessie had called them back then, she'd creeped me out.

"Are you sure?" I still didn't see her, or smell her for that matter. The vendor was looking at me like I had two heads. That was understandable. To an outsider it would look like I was having a conversation with myself. "Um, let's go over here." I pointed to an empty bench after paying for the food.

"Of course it's Zafrina. It smells just like her. But the scent is weak, so maybe it's been a few days since she was here." she said with a sigh. "Wait there it is again," she said just as a groups of kids walked by.

That explained it. "It's not Zafrina," I told her, connecting what she told me Zafrina smelled like with what I saw. "Do you see that fluffy stuff on those sticks," pointing towards the kids. "It's called cotton candy and comes in a bunch of flavors – strawberry, bubblegum, banana, cherry, and a ton others including watermelon and peaches."

"Do they sell it here?" she looked so excited.

"Yea, s'pro…bly a c'rt svellin it som-wh're," I tried to say as best I could, but my mouth was full of chili dog. "Wanna gea wan fter?"

"Don't be silly, Jake. You stay here and eat those," she said with a frown, pointing to the lone remaining dog. I hadn't thought I had eaten the first one that quickly. "I'll follow the scent, buy a couple for us, and be right back." She gave me a kiss then took off before I could even respond, probably afraid I would try again to get her to take a bite.

A minute later the other chili dog was gone, but Nessie wasn't back yet. I guess I could look at some of the animals while I waited. The map said there was a wolf enclosure not too far from where I was now. After quickly texting Nessie, letting her know I would be just around the corner, I walked over to see the wolves.

Hmm, I couldn't see any in there. I looked and looked, walking from one side of the massive enclosure to the other. Was it empty? That was disappointing.

"Look there's one!" A little girl started jumping up and down, pointing excitedly over to a wolf that was creeping out from the cave.

He walked right up and stood in front of me, or at least as close as it could get with the multiple sets of fences that were in the way. We seemed to be caught in some sort of staring contest. His nostrils flared a few times as he sniffed me. It concerned me when he started barking, but then I saw more wolves leave the safety of the cave and apprehensively approach us. The first wolf, who I now understood was the packs alpha, started jumping up and down, excitedly like a puppy. The others quickly followed suit, barking and jumping just as happily.

"Wow, look at that," a man that was with the girl (I'm guessing her father) exclaimed. "I thought they only came out at night, and were more skittish around people. I've never seen them act like this before. Looks like it's our lucky day."

I had a feeling it was more than luck though. They knew I was a fellow wolf, and for some reason didn't view me as a threat. That was cool, but not wanting to draw undue attention to myself I decided to head back to the bench to wait for Nessie, the wolves yipping away as I left.

It didn't look too bad of a place for them to live in. The zoo had made the enclosure look like a mountain range, somewhere where they would naturally live. There were rocks, trees, bushes, the cave for them to sleep in, even a stream for them to drink water. It seemed like they were happy in there; that was good.

As I walked back to the bench I saw Nessie coming around the path, her arms overloaded with cotton candy cones, and her head half hidden in a fluffy pink cloud that was slowly disappearing into her mouth.

"There you are," I laughed. "Did you get lost?"

"Sorry there was a long line and after I got one for each of us I tried a piece on my way back. It was so good I practically inhaled the entire thing, and had to go back for more."

"So you like cotton candy, I take it." She nodded. "Is one of those for me?"

"Of course," she handed me one, as she gave me a sticky peck on the cheek. I liked this new dating thing. "Ready to go see the lions?"

I counted at least five more cones in her hand, not including the one she already ate. "Honey if you eat all of those we won't be able to see anything. But I will get to see your very first stomach ache." And possibly her first vomiting. She just looked confused. "That's way too much sugar. You'll make yourself sick if you eat all of them."

"Oh," she looked disappointed, but walked over to a group of teenagers and tried handed the remaining ones to them.

"Nessie, that's not a great idea." The teens looked skeptical at first, but happily took the candy anyway. Didn't their parents ever tell them not to take candy from strangers? Oh well.

We needed to head over to the lion den if Nessie was ever going to see any animals today. "Hey honey, lets… Nessie?" Where did she go?

"Jake, come on," she waved to me from up the path.

I quickly caught up and we stopped at a few exhibits on the way. Although I could smell them neither of us saw a single giraffe, and the zebras all scampered to the other side of their enclosure, while the flamingos must have flown out of site. I wasn't too impressed with the zoo's animals so far.

When we got to the lions I saw that it looked similar to the wolf set up. Sort of. The zoo seemed to have done a really good job making each exhibit look like the natural environment for each animal. The lion's space had lots of tall grasses, trees, rocks, stuff like that.

There were four lions, one older male, one younger, and two females, just lounging around not really doing anything.

"Oh look Jake," Nessie pointed over to our left. "That one's with her babies." Another female lion was currently licking three cubs as they tried to topple on top of each other. I guess it was bath time. "Come on, let's get a closer view." She yanked my arm as she pulled me towards them.

The older male lion got up and started following us. One of the cubs broke away from its mother and headed to the edge of the enclosure where we were standing but didn't make it halfway to us before its father intercepted it and with a small growl sent it back to its mother.

"That's too bad. I was hoping to see the little guy up close," she whispered to me. "I know it wasn't very likely, what with lions being so protective of their young, but I didn't expect the male to come over. I read that it's usually the females that handle the herding."

That was strange. And he didn't go back to his spot on the grass, or over to the mother and her cubs, but positioned himself between them and us. The other male quickly followed as the three females each grabbed a cub and disappeared. Something was upsetting them.

If the wolves knew that I was one of them I guess the lions could smell the animal in me too. And by the growls that were erupting from them I was assuming that they didn't like it. When they moved forward and started pouncing on the barrier I decided it might be better to back up a little.

It didn't help, the more I moved away the more agitated they got.

It wasn't me. It was Nessie they were sensing. She must have realized the same thing, because she quickly was at my side. "Maybe for our next date we should try the aquarium or something," she half heartedly joked. She was so disappointed but we decided that we needed to leave. We couldn't risk drawing attention to ourselves.

* * *

A few days later, as I pulled my car into the garage with a freshly bought package of condoms sitting in the passenger seat, I was suddenly face to face with Edward. A very black eyed Edward. Figures! Of course he was back now, and judging by the look on his face I knew he would not be as understanding as Nessie seemed to think he was.

As I got out of the car he asked me "What's the bag for Jake?" as if he didn't already know.

Argh! I was getting tired of this. Either I was with Nessie or not. He couldn't be telling us he was happy we were together one minute and trying to rip my head off, for being with her, the next.

"I have no intention of fighting you, or even trying to stop you, Jacob. I'm glad she picked you. You're perfect for each other and I'm happy you're finally together, the way you're supposed to be." Then his serene façade cracked and he looked a little sick. "Just do me a favor and have Bella to put her shield around one of us before, during, and probably for a while after -" He couldn't even finish the sentence. "I don't want to hear anything you're thinking about my daughter during that time."

"So, you're really okay with me... um... you know, with Nessie?"

"No, I would _prefer_ if you didn't take my daughters innocence at all."

"You do realize we're together. It's going to happen eventually. Right?" I shot back at him. "I mean at some point we're going to -"

"Yes," he cut me off, "but I would prefer if you were married first."

"You know she doesn't want that, so there's not a lot I can do about it." _It's a little hypocritical of you though, don't you think? _I thought to him.

"Not at all," he replied. The emotion completely void in his voice.

"Yeah right. Like you were a virgin when you married Bella. You were what... two hundred years old? I'm sure there were a few female bloodsuckers along the way."

"You're wrong on both counts. I was only one hundred and twenty-one when Bella and I exchanged vows, and we were both virgins."

I was pretty sure that was true about Bella, but him, really? "You were a hundred year old virgin?" I said, trying to choke down the laugh that was threatening to escape my lips. I know he could read it in my mind, and my attempt really was pointless but still... "Ha!" I snorted. "You would've seemed a lot less intimidating when we were fighting over her had I known that." _Not that I was ever scared of you_, I quickly amended.

"Perhaps we should get back to the topic at hand - my daughter," he said while failing to suppress a growl. "I figure... the two of you... it's going to happen, eventually. Probably soon, judging by both of your thoughts," he continued, while pinching the bridge of his nose. I hadn't seen him do that in years. "But she's an adult now," he added, regaining his composure, "and she loves you. And I know how much you love her. There's no point in me trying to put off the inevitable. That would only hurt both of you, and I have no desire to do that."

Wow! This wasn't something I was expecting to hear from Edward. Ever.

"I'm sure… eventually, after a decade or two, I'll be fine, and Bella won't need her shield around either of us, anymore," he added with a small smirk.

Hmmm, as understanding as Edward was being, I think our first time shouldn't be anywhere near him; just in case Bella's shield slipped, or the walls weren't as soundproof as we thought. And Renesmee deserved something amazing. I didn't want it to be in just our bedroom, that wasn't special enough for her. I could rent a hotel room. Maybe somewhere with a balcony, so we could see the stars. Possibly we could head down to Boston, the skyline there was beautiful. Or maybe even New York. Hell, this was Nessie I was talking about. We could go to Paris. Alice said she saw us there someday. Maybe this was the reason. I'll have to ask Nessie what she wants and...

"JACOB!?" Edward yelled, trying to get my attention back.

"Hmmm? Yeah, sorry."

"There is something else. The reason I came to talk to you. I believe I should let you know that the condoms are most likely unnecessary. Renesmee wants to have a child. I believe the two of you need to have a talk."

"What?" A baby? Now? But he didn't say anything else. Bella appeared at the edge of the forest, calling him to go hunt with her, and he simply excused himself and left to follow her into the woods.

I guess I needed to have a talk with Nessie.

As I walked into the house, still partially dazed by Edward's revelation, I found Nessie sitting on our bed sketching a design for a new table, by the look of it.

"Hey, Jake. Are you okay?" Of course she could see the apprehension on my face.

"Hi honey, I just had the strangest conversation with Edward." I stopped and stood a few feet away from her.

"What about?" she asked me. Instead of answering her directly I just tossed her the bag and she began opening it with a confused look on her face.

Horror flashed across her face when she pulled out the contents. "He gave you condoms?"

"No. I bought them for us, but he told me that you wanted to get pregnant; he seemed to think that we needed to talk about it. And I agree."

"Jacob, I'm not ready for... _that_ yet. I thought I was. I mean I've had _three_ years to prepare for this, for us, but now that it's real, and we're actually together, I just need a little time. I'm sorry but I just... right now... we just started -" She started looking around frantically, anywhere but at me.

Oh, crap! What had I done? Nessie wasn't ready for this. What was Edward thinking?

In a flash I was beside Nessie on the bed, wrapping her up in my arms. "No honey, it's okay. That wasn't why I was saying that for. I didn't mean, or try, to imply that we needed to start having sex right now. We can wait until whenever you're ready, as long as... whenever or never... it's up to you. The only reason I brought it up was because Edward just had said that you wanted to have a child with me."

"No... I mean yes, I do want to." At least she was starting to smile now. I hadn't upset her too much. "If you do, that is. But, well, the baby part… I just wanted it to be us for a while, first."

I let out a thankful sigh. "That's a relief."

As soon as the words left my mouth I knew I said something wrong by the way she tensed up, but I wasn't sure why. "Jacob, do you ever want to have a child with me?" Tears started to build up in her eyes.

"Of course I do, Nessie. I love you and would love for us to make a baby together."

"That's good," she sighed in relief herself now. "You got me worried that you changed your mind from a couple of years ago."

"Nope, whenever you're ready just let me know and we can start working on a Pack of our own." It looked like we were going to need the condoms after all. For the next few years at least. Hell, Nessie hadn't even stopped aging. We could even wait twenty to thirty years, or more if we wanted. I started dreaming of how wonderful the next few decades were going to be, alone with Nessie.

"I know I'm pushing things off, not starting to try right now, since I don't have that much time left, Jake." She looked guilty, but I didn't understand why.

What was she talking about? "Nessie you're at the beginning of your life. You're still growing. I know it feels like it's been forever for you, but believe me, five years is an incredibly short amount of time. Don't rush. We have all the time in the world to start having kids. You're literally going to live forever."

"But didn't anyone tell you? Once I stop growing, when I turn seven, my body will be frozen, just like the rest of my families, and I'll no longer be able to reproduce. If we ever want to have a child of our own, it has to be within the next year and a half."

"Oh!" was all that managed to escape my lips.

* * *

What do you think about Nessie's revelation to Jake. Should she have said something earlier? She's known about her deadline for years, but it's quite a blow for him.

If you already read Sunrise then you might have noticed that i added a lot to this chapter and also moved some things around. I also had to push one event to the next chapter or this one would have been even longer. But i think it works better this way. What do you think?

Thanks for reading and please review.


	29. Jake's Twenty-Second Birthday

**The Blue Moon**

* * *

**Year Six, Chapter Twenty-Nine**

**Jake's Twenty-Second Birthday**

* * *

Jacob's Point of View

* * *

Nessie and I decided to head over to Seth and Leah's place and see how they were doing. It had been over a week since we helped them move in. They lived about a hundred miles east of us, so we left just after breakfast and got there just before ten. The place they got was nice, on the second floor of a townhouse with two bedrooms, a kitchen, bathroom and living room. They didn't need much more right now. And the rent was cheap enough.

I knew money was probably going to be tight for them. I figured Carol was pretty much putting everything she had towards tuition, and the decision to move out here had been so sudden that I doubted Seth or Leah had a chance to find a job, yet.

Because of the Imprint it wouldn't be a problem for Seth to uproot his life and moving across the country for someone he barely knew. Yet I had pulled him aside when we were still helping them set up their new place. I just wanted to make sure things weren't moving too fast. And he wasn't who I was concerned about. It was Carol. What did she think of all of this? She was moving in with a guy, a kid really, seven years younger than her, who, up till this point, had still lived at home with his mother and had barely dated, let alone lived with another woman before. And the two of them just jumped into this committed relationship? And she had no problem having Leah live with them too?

After talking with Seth (and Nessie had spoken a bit with Carol as well) it seemed that my concerns were for nothing. Apparently it was love at first sight for both of them. Their relationship seemed to be the exact opposite of Embry's.

As we pulled up to their place Nessie spotted Seth working on the fence, and around the side I spotted Leah and Carol planting a flower garden.

"Hi, guys." Nessie waved to them as we exited the car. "Do you want some help?"

"I think I'm more than capable of planting flowers," Leah sneered at her. It didn't seem like she was warming up to Nessie like I'd hoped and would have given her a small growl for the way she spoke to my imprint, but Carol was right next to her and she was still getting use to the whole supernatural world. Even though she was now living with two Wolves, I wasn't sure how comfortable she was and as Seth's Imprint I didn't want to upset her. "Thanks, anyway," Leah eventually added, after seeing the disapproving look I settled for. Well that's something I guess.

"Oh, okay," Nessie sighed, but quickly regained her composure as we walked over to Seth who was more than happy to see _both_ of us.

"Here, let me grab that for you," Nessie gestured to the piece of wood Seth was struggling to both hold and hammer to a fence post.

"Thanks. The owner is the nicest little old lady who lives on the first floor. She can't keep up with all the work that needs to be done around here anymore so she's giving us a break on the rent if we fix this place up for her.

"And she has a bunch of friends that are all in similar situations as her. She already told them how good I was at fixing things. I have a bunch of handyman type jobs lined up to keep me busy for the next three or four months, at least. It should tie me over until I can find a more permanent job around here," Seth cheered.

"That's great, Seth. What about Leah, is she doing it with you?"

"Naw. She got a waitressing job at the place down the street. It's perfect for her. She wants to try to enroll at the local college next fall and is going to audit some classes during the day in the meantime."

"And what about you? Did you want to go to school too?" I asked him.

"Yeah, maybe," he shrugged. "But I don't think it will be possible right now. Maybe after Carol is done with school, and is working, and -"

"Seth, if it is just money standing in your way, why don't you let us help. My family had more than enough," Nessie offered, cutting him off.

"No, I mean yes," he shrugged, "there is the money problem. But I couldn't take anything from you guys. Bella already offer to pay for everything too. I know we're technically family now, but it just wouldn't be right. And anyway, I kinda like getting to just be free to do my own thing for awhile. No school, no Pack, no patrols... no mom telling me to clean my room," he added with a chuckle.

"I think if you leave your room a mess you're going to have Carol to deal with. And an upset girlfriend is a lot worse than an upset mother." I could see his point, though. He had to live with the Pack and shoulder a ton of responsibility since he was only fifteen years old. He did deserve a break.

It didn't seem right though, for him to work so hard and get so little to show for it. If he wouldn't take any money from us maybe there was something else we could do. While Seth didn't want to go to school right now I was sure we could think of something to help him out and give him room to relax.

Nessie seemed to have had the same thought, but as usual, was much further along in the process. She grabbed my hand and showed me her idea. Esme was always redoing houses – renovating or redecorating them, redesigning and updating furniture, adding on additions, she practically tore our three houses down to the studs before building them back up again.

Nessie thought that she and I could do the same, in a way. It seemed like a good idea. We could afford to buy something small around here and have Seth fix it up, without him even knowing we were involved. When it was done we could sell it and buy a new house and have him do it all over again, if he wanted to. She was sure we could find out from Esme what a typical job like that would cost. Seth had never fixed up an entire house before so he probably wouldn't be aware that we would overpay him, like Nessie suggested.

I nodded to Nessie, to let her know that I was more than happy to go along with her idea. "Just let me run it by Leah first."

When the fence and flower garden were done I suggested to her we go for a Wolf run later that day. It was also a good excuse to phase with her. I missed the connection. Even though Leah lived within the three hundred mile range of our Wolf telepathy, since we were not near each other most times, over the past couple of weeks, when I was phased she was not. Maybe we could set up a schedule to phase together once a week or something.

After lunch Carol and Nessie were in a deep discussion about the local dress stores. I had a feeling Nessie just had decided to start the discussion to give me a chance to break away with Leah.

"Thanks," I mouthed as Leah and I exited the apartment.

When we walked out to the nearby woods, I was suddenly aware that Alice must have made her a dress/slip version of the expandable shorts she made me. When she phased the dress naturally expanded out and looked like a tank top. That was really thoughtful of Alice.

_Remember when we came over with Charlie and Sue a few weeks ago, she practically shoved them at me as we were leaving, _Leah told me when she saw the question in my head. _ At first I thought she was trying to give me a late Christmas present. How weird would that be! _Leah sarcastically thought over to me.

Actually that would be pretty on par for Alice, and it was probably exactly what she was doing, even if Leah didn't think so.

_I doubt the little Vamp had any nice reasons for giving them to me. They reeked. It took me washing them at least a half dozen times before I could even start to stand the smell. _

_Leah, you can say all the nasty things you want, but you're _wearing_ it. I can see into your mind, and I know you really like the dress, so just drop the act. Okay? _

_Fine. I guess it was nice of her,_ she finally admitted_. So what is it you wanted to talk about?_

This was so nice, having someone in my head again. When I first phased I never thought I would get use to it, let alone miss it.

_That's it? That's why you dragged me out to the woods? You're _lonely_? Don't you get enough of Eddie and Nessie being in your head, you want me in there too?_

_Err, well sort of, _I admitted_. I know you haven't been away from everyone for long, so you don't feel the same, but I kinda miss this. _

_Seriously? I mean I know you're serious, but really? Are you thinking clearly? You really want to phase once a week just to be in MY head? I mean... MINE? I know there's no other option out here, but am I really better than nothing? I don't even want to be in my head sometimes. _

If this was back when she first phased, and was still heartbroken over Sam then I definitely would say no. But it had been years, she had calmed down… mostly.

_You're not so bad. _Anymore. _ And it would only be once a week. I think I can handle you for that long. How about Saturday's, I'm phased anyway when I take Nessie hunting. _

As soon as I thought Nessie's name an immediate flash of anger appeared in Leah's mind, but she quickly squashed it down. I knew it wasn't Nessie in particular that she had a problem with. She was doing her best… I thought and hoped. It was more what Nessie represented – Vampires. She blamed all the misery in her life on them. Without the Cullens moving to Forks when they did years ago then Sam never would have phased, he never would have imprinted on Emily, never broken with her, she never would have phased, probably leaving her barren , unable to have children and the shock killing her father, leading to the phasing of her baby brother.

She never went out of her way to be mean to Nessie, just never warmed up to her. She also never made the effort to try, but unless she did something to intentionally hurt Nessie I wasn't going to say anything. Nessie also understood. If she didn't then I would have stepped in, but my angel could handle herself against her Aunt. That said I did hope that they would someday become friends.

Leah heard me, but wisely chose to ignore my thoughts, yet I did catch an eye roll. I didn't get it. How could she not see how wonderful Nessie was?

_Speaking of which, _Leah brought me back to the conversation at hand_, you and Nessie are just getting together. Do you really want me in your head, seeing all of that?_

Oh, I hadn't even thought of that. I guess it would be a little weird as things between Nessie and I progressed. But I just missed the connection to another Wolf. Maybe I should check with Nessie first?

_Yeah, you do that, _Leah rolled her eyes again,_ if she's okay with… _it, she shrugged, _let me know. _

_Really? Thanks, Leah. _

_Sure, whatever, _she tried to play it off_. Just try and watch your thoughts, when we're phased. I don't want to see anything or start dreaming _things_ about her. _

After that I let her in on the plan Nessie came up with to get Seth some work, well - financial help. To be honest, she had already pick most of it out of my brain, but was kind enough to let me tell her in my own time.

She was more willing to go along with it than the dual phasing schedule, knowing it would be good for her brother; keep him out of trouble, and give him a much needed steady income. That was one of the best parts of Leah, she was a wonderful big sister to him, always looking out for and protecting him. It was the main reason she came with him to New Hampshire after all.

_Don't you dare tell him that, s_he practically screamed in my head.

_Sure, sure, _I chuckled.

We headed back after that.

Nessie and I stayed and helped out some more here and there until it started to get dark. Carlisle and Esme's flight was arriving at eight and we wanted to get back and meet them when they returned to the house to see if they had any news.

While Rose and Emmett claimed they looked everywhere they could think of, it didn't escape anyone's notice that they were the first to return and Edward mentioned that they searched about as hard as I thought they would, spending most of their time away in "much more enjoyable pursuits typical of a happily married couple" as Edward had put it. Although he tried to hide it, it was plain to see that he was more than a little pissed at their lack of effort.

Alice and Jasper checked in every once in awhile, they hadn't found anything yet, but South America was big and there were a couple of places they still wanted to search before returning home.

* * *

Renesmee's Point of View

* * *

It was January 14th and today was my Jacob's birthday. He was turning twenty-two. Even though I knew no one in the family really celebrated anyone's birthday anymore, except for mine, I always gave Jake a gift each year. This year I had the whole day planned. With a little help from J. Jenks I got Jacob two tickets to a football game. The Patriots were playing the Denver Broncos just two hours away in Foxborough, MA. I was hoping that I could get tickets to a game that the Seattle Seahawks were playing in, but they weren't in the Playoffs this year.

The game didn't start until after eight tonight, so I made us dinner reservations at a nice restaurant in Boston, beforehand.

Jacob loved the meal. I had made sure the restaurant I choose gave huge portions, which, being a Werewolf, he loved. He ended up eating his entire meal and most of mine, since human food wasn't my favorite. Through trial and error over the years, we discovered that I preferred food that was as unprocessed as possible, fruit being my favorite. Meat had to be almost raw. Baked and fried food seemed inedible. Even still I knew I wouldn't eat much, so only ordered things I knew Jake liked. His birthday fell on a Saturday, and Jake and I had gone hunting as usual, that morning anyway.

When dessert came I slipped his present on the table next to his slice of chocolate cake. To disguise what they were the football tickets were wrapped in a large white rectangular box, tied with a simple red bow.

"What's this?" I had kept the football game a surprise for him, so I think he assumed that the dinner was his present.

"Your birthday present of course." It was amusing watching the look on his face go from confused to amused back to confused, as he tried to figure out what was inside the box. He was shaking it, holding it up to his ear, trying to listen for any clues as to what was inside.

"Oh, just open it!" I half-screamed/half-giggled just a bit too loud. He started laughing with me as he undid the bow and opened the box. Seeing the tickets he had the reaction I was hoping for – utter joy, amazement, and excitement. I then decided to tell him all of the plans for the evening.

The game would probably not get over until after midnight, and a two hour car ride home wasn't advisable at that time, adding in the fact that I had been warned it was a common occurrence with Patriots games that it would take about an hour or more just to get out of the stadium parking lot and back onto the highway. I reserved a nice hotel room for us for the night; we could drive back home in the morning.

The _room_ I got was actually a suite, with an extra large Jacuzzi in the bathroom. I had talked to the hotel management and arranged for the rooms water heater to be turned up to the highest it would go, so Jake and I could enjoy some hot showers. With our higher than average body temperatures normal _hot_ water just didn't feel hot to us. It took a bit of convincing, and money, and some personal injury waivers I had to sign, saying we would not sue the hotel if we got burned, (not that that was even possible) but with Mr. J. Jenks help, again, it was all arranged.

The game ended up being a little boring. The Patriots won 45 to 10. It didn't feel like a fair match, more like an execution. After the first quarter the Broncos seemed to resign themselves to their defeat. It _was_ a sold out Playoffs game, but the stadium, which had been packed in the beginning, ended up emptying out around the third quarter. The game was pretty much over by then anyway. Add to that how it was below freezing that night, around twenty degrees, the mass exodus made perfect sense. Jake and I didn't mind, but all of the humans around us that were left, well the sober ones, were shivering from the cold.

Not wanting to seem like there was something unusual about us, and giving me a good excuse to get closer to Jake (not that I needed one) I cuddled up next to him. We stayed at the game till its end, cuddling, talking, kissing, and just enjoying the alone time. It was hard to get any privacy at home, with my entire family always around, especially my father.

I had learned, during my relationship with Nahuel, that even though my mind would sometimes wander, my father would not say anything to me or try and stop my... less than _innocent_ thoughts. But by the expressions I caught on his face, every now and then, I could tell he was more than a bit bothered by them.

One day, when my fantasies had truly gotten out of control he took off on a LONG run. I felt horrible; after he returned he came and talked with me. "Renesmee, I don't want you to feel bad about anything. Your thoughts and feelings are completely natural."

Nevertheless I did try back then, and now, with Jacob, to limit them, and control my thoughts when home. I'm sure Jake did the same, so it was nice now to just be able to let go. I liked thinking of Jake and I, I liked fantasizing about us, and I loved recalling romantic incidents between the two of us.

It's hard to have a full and meaningful relationship if you're not allowed, through your own choosing or not, to think of the other person the way you want. It's similar to being handcuffed and trying to play the piano, you could do it, sort of, but it's not going to sound as good.

"Did you do all of this?" Jake asked me as we entered the hotel suite.

The entire suite was decorated with hundreds of red roses, and rose petals were sprinkled on the bed. In the entryway table stood a bottle of champagne, two flutes, a bowl of strawberries and an envelope. It did look like her handiwork. Someone in the family must have told my Aunt during on one of her "check in" phone calls.

"I wish I could take credit for this, but it looks more like Aunt Alice's handiwork." But that can't be, she and Uncle Jasper were still out searching for Nahuel's sisters. Without her being able to see either of us, she would have had no way of knowing I had planned this for Jacob's birthday.

As I was looking around, while Jake pulled a note out of the envelope and started to read it, I found that the Jacuzzi had also been filled with bubbles.

Walking back into the room I saw that something seemed to amuse him, because he started laughing a bit and mumbled what I thought sounded like "baby crazed Vamp."

"Huh? Jake that's not why I got the room." I didn't want him thinking I just brought him here so I could get pregnant.

Okay, so I had another reason for getting the hotel room, than just a place to sleep; a much more enjoyable reason. Jake and I had discussed things and we agreed that our first time together shouldn't be at home, with my parents nearby. That would be just too weird. A hotel or cabin somewhere far away was preferable, but we hadn't made any definite plans yet. And I didn't want to bring it up tonight with Jake either. He was as freaked out about my fertility deadline as I thought he would be. If anything happened tonight that would be wonderful, but I didn't want to push him, so I just had planned on letting whatever happen, happen. But I was ready now, mentally and emotionally, if it did. And I was pretty sure he was as well.

"No, I know honey." He passed me the note. Aunt Rose... of course.

* * *

The night, the _entire night_, ended up going just as well as I had hoped. Everything was perfect. I was so happy I was able to give My Jacob such a wonderful birthday. That night as he drifted off to sleep, instead of breathing normally, I noticed that each exhale came out as a sigh of utter contentment.

Jake loved the dinner, the game, and the hotel room but I have a feeling our making love for the first time was the favorite part of his birthday. I know it was mine. I had been worried that Aunt Rose's overboard extremism would have put too much pleasure on him, or us, but once we got over the initial shock, and relaxed, we really appreciated all she did. The bubbles in the Jacuzzi were the perfect buffer we needed; although the Champaign remained unopened. And Jake must have woken sometime in the middle of the night and finished off the strawberries.

When I opened my eyes the next morning, I saw the Jake was already awake. And he looked ravenous, but not for food.

"How are you feeling?" he mumbled, as he began kissing my neck, working his way down and over to my shoulder.

"Ha, ha, ha," I chuckled, unable to answer. That tickled. I mean it felt really good too, but it still made me laugh.

"Nessie, sweetheart... are you feeling okay?" he broke his kisses to ask more seriously. "I mean it doesn't hurt too much does it?"

Hurt? Oh! "Jake, I'm completely fine. Super fast half-Vampire healing over here, remember."

"Mmmm, that's good," he grinned, all traces of concern now gone, "because I have a few things I thought we could try this morning." Before he even finished his sentence his lips were moving down the inside of my elbow, as he pulled me on top of himself.

Wow, what had gotten into him this morning? Whatever it was I was very thankful.

Over an hour later we finally managed to call room service so Jake could eat breakfast. He had managed to work up a good appetite between last night and this morning. I knew we needed to return home soon, but we kept finding more enjoyable things to do besides getting dressed.

A few hours later when we called again to order some lunch the hotel staff reminded us we had a late noon checkout. They did however recommend the restaurant in the hotel.

Looking over at the nightstand, by the bed, after hanging up the phone, I saw the time.

When did it get so late? "Jake!" I almost screamed, "We need to get up. Checkout is in twenty-six minutes," I told him as I began to get up, to finally make my way across the room to grab our clothes.

"I think I can work with that," he said pulling me back to bed, with a huge grin on his face.

I was so happy and Jake hadn't stopped smiling all morning. Or though lunch. Or on the ride home. Not even during the awkward conversation when I had to call my mom and let her know she would need to start shielding Jake and me when my father was around.

"So, are you ready?" I asked Jake as he drove.

We were about five miles from home and I just sent my mother a text to let her know we would be in my father's range soon. That was a slight problem. My father could read our minds from about three to four miles away. My mother's shield didn't come close to extending that far. So for the next few miles we would just need to think of other things – for a few minutes anyway, just in case she was going to shield us and not him. We knew, no matter how much he loved her, my father hated having her shield over him. He said it felt like he was being blindfolded.

"Ready!" he replied.

Time to distract ourselves from thinking about last nights, and this morning's activities.

"So... um the game was interesting." Why was it the one thing I shouldn't think about right now was the only thing I wanted to?

"Sure, sure. I'm pretty sure that it was the worst game I've ever seen. I mean the Patriots are amazing but it was just so unfairly matched. I mean how did the Broncos even -"

_Jake, I'm sorry I can't do this. Can you pull over? _I asked with my gift. After he did I began again, out loud. "I don't want to talk about that horrible football game. And I really don't want to spend the next decade avoiding thinking about you... us… what we did. It was wonderful, and magical, and was nothing to be ashamed of. I don't want to have to hide from my father."

"Nessie -" he just sighed.

"Look at it this way; the sooner he hears what happened the sooner he can start getting use to it. And I'm not so naive that I think it will be fine right away, in fact I assume that it will be pretty bad, for all of us, for awhile, but that can't last forever, can it?"

Jake didn't say anything, so I started taking again. "Look if you think it's a horrible idea, and don't want to do it, then I'll go along with you. But what if something goes wrong? Won't it be worse if my mother's shield slips, or we think she is shielding us and she isn't even home, or they come home and we're in the middle of something and she doesn't know she needs to put her shield up, or what happens when she has class and my father is at home, or -"

"Honey, it's okay. I completely agree. I don't like the idea of having to constantly watch my thoughts or look over my shoulder, or make sure Bella's nearby to get to be with you. I've already had an incident where I thought she was shielding Edward and later found out she wasn't even home. Even though everything worked out I don't want to go through that again."

"Alright then, how would you like to do this? He probably already heard about Aunt Rose's involvement in the hotel room, so my father most likely assumes what happened between us, if he didn't already hear that my mother needs to start shielding us. This won't be a complete shock to him." I came up with three ideas which I shared with Jake. We could:

1) Call my mother and have her take her shield down now and just think freely about last night, letting my father hear us all the way home,

2) Have her leave it up and think about last night so my father hears us only until we get under her shield,

3) Not reveal anything in our thoughts now but talk to my father when we get home, about our decision, while my mother's shield is still up.

Jake took a minute before he weighed in. "I think we should call Edward and let him know what we're thinking, and ask him what he prefers, this is going to affect him too, sweetheart."

"I guess you're right. We shouldn't blindside him. Here goes," I said as I began dialing my father's cell phone.

To say that my father was shocked at our decision was a bit of an understatement. But he saw our point and a variation of option three was decided upon. He wanted a little time to get used to our new relationship status. Jake and I were able to distract ourselves until we were close to the house where my mother had her shield up around us.

Once we parked the car and entered the house our plan was to talk to my parents right away but we were accosted, first by my Aunt and Grandmother. Well I was anyway, I'm not sure they even noticed Jacob was in the car with me.

"Welcome home honey. Are you thirsty?" my grandmother asked me. Just by the look in her eyes I could tell they all new.

"Is that what you wore? You should have let me dress you. It was such a special occasion, Nessie," Aunt Rose huffed.

"Did you have a good time?" Grandma Esme asked.

"So everything went as well as we hoped?" My Aunt Rose seemed a bit possessed. She was the one with the whole seduction plan; I just wanted to let Jake have the best birthday possible.

They were speaking faster than I had ever heard. If they were human I would say that their excitement was causing them to talk a mile a minute, but they were Vampires so it was more like a mile a second. I probably missed some of the questions. I actually think I did, but answered the ones I managed to hear.

"Thanks, I hunted yesterday, Grandma. I think I look fine; Jacob didn't have a problem with my outfit, Aunt Rose. And 'Yes,' I had a good time and everything was good. I'll talk to both of you more in a bit, but right now Jake and I need to talk to my parents. Excuse me, please." I replied as best I could before slipping away. I didn't want to be rude, but I also didn't want to put this off, and lose my nerve, or my train of thought. And Jacob was still waiting patiently, smiling to himself, by the door.

Once I escaped my female relatives and Jake and I made our way to my parents, my father informed us that he needed a couple more days to prepared himself, and for us to settle down with our thoughts a bit. Luckily my mother thought she could keep her shield up, continuously, for that long.

My father was handling this better than I could have imagined. Of course he hadn't heard much of anything yet. Currently he was pinching the bridge of his nose, but quickly dropped his hand when he saw us eyeing him. I knew he was uncomfortable with... things, but he was trying to not make it too awkward for us. I don't think I'd even heard him growl at Jake, once. But then again, it wasn't like last night's events came as a giant surprise to him. He knew we would be together – eventually.

In the future, if anything was too much for him, he decided he would either ask my mother to raise her shield, himself, or he would remove himself from the area. But he did ask, and we agreed, that for a little while anyway, whenever we were intimate, we would text both my mother and father asking my mother to raise her shield. That way it wouldn't matter if she was home or not, and no _mistakes_ would happen. I just wondered what he meant by "a little while". I didn't get an answer, so I guess we would just have to wait and see.

"Well, I guess that's it then," my father said as we finished discussing everything. "Bella, why don't you help Renesmee. I think she needs to go find her welcoming party. You left them rather abruptly, darling and they're clamoring for details at Esme's house. I'm sure your mother can keep them under control."

Yikes! "Oh, alright," I gave in, after my father gave me a look, wordlessly letting me know I didn't have a choice. I wasn't particularly looking forward to this, but after just facing my father how bad could two ladies be? "I guess I'll see you later Jake," I said giving him a kiss before turning to head over to my grandmother's house, with my mother.

Before I was even out the front door I heard my father, "Jacob, let's talk." Damn! I knew things were too good to be true. There was no point in my going back. He wouldn't hurt Jake and whatever my father wanted to talk to him about, clearly he didn't want to say in front of me. Just like my Aunt and Grandmother with me, my father would get Jake alone eventually, if I stopped him today. I'll just have to ask Jake what they talked about later tonight.

* * *

Jacob's Point of View

* * *

"So you survived Rose and Esme's inquisition I see," I smirked to Nessie as she entered our bedroom.

She plopped down on the bed, looking exhausted. "Yes, they were more than a little interested to see how... um, your birthday went."

"Are you sure they were really asking about my birthday, honey." I knew she was just messing with me, I could see it in her eyes. Rose would want updates on our night together and to see if a new baby would be in everyone's futures sometime soon.

"Whatever do you mean, Jake?" she replied, oozing false innocence.

"Fine if you don't want to talk about it I won't push. It was probably embarrassing to talk to your grandmother and Aunt about your sex life, now that you have one," I said embracing her waist and pulling her to me so I could kiss her neck as we talked.

"Not just them; don't think I could have an awkward and embarrassing sex talk without my mother being there too, after we left you with my dad," she jested. "How did that go, by the way? He didn't hurt you, did he?" she asked eyeing me up and down, probably looking for any signs of a struggle. She knew if anything did happen I would have healed physically by now, but might still show some signs of a fight like a torn piece of clothing or something. She seemed to relax after seeing nothing of the sort.

"Nessie, everything was fine," I chuckled.

I hadn't been worried when Edward asked me to sit down after Nessie left… almost. It annoyed me that he couldn't even wait until she actually exited the house. She didn't need to be concerned, but her father all but assured it the way his tone had been.

I knew we were going to have to talk but didn't think it was going to be so soon. "What is it, Eddie," I had sneered to him, after hearing the front door close. "I'm guessing you don't want a blow-by-blow replay of what happened between the two of us last night." Haha, I'd snorted at my own pun. Eddie hadn't seemed as amused as me, judging by the growl that threatened to escape and the pinching at the bridge of his nose that he so often did in times like these.

"No, he'd replied, "but this new attitude you're displaying is more of what I wanted to talk about."

New attitude?

"As much as I don't want to know the specifics of what went on, I know you would never do anything to hurt my daughter. Not intentionally. But it seems like you're back in your Alpha Mode and that has me… concerned," he hesitated to say.

And with good reason. Concern meant he was worried about Nessie. But why was thinking I was now back in _Alpha Mode_ as he put it, something to worry about?

I hadn't even realized it was lost, or it had shrunk, or went away, or whatever he was talking about. But the more I thought about it the more sense it made. Some of the things I went through with Nahuel and Edward this past year - the fear, anger, defeat, among other things... it all felt so ridiculous now. Why did I ever feel like that? Nessie was mine, she chose me, she was always meant to be with me. It seems silly now that I hadn't realized it before.

Still he was obviously wrong. Sure, I was technically my Packs Alpha. It meant that I led the guys (and Leah) when there was danger, and as Alpha I could mentally communicate with the other Pack's Alpha when we were near each other. But there was no danger nearby; I wasn't in my Wolf form, not fighting any Vamps. I was definitely not in _Alpha Mode_"

"You're not just an Alpha Wolf, Jacob," Edward started to explain. "Are you familiar with the term _alpha male_?" he waited for my head nod before continuing to explain how horribly offensive some men came across to women. I guess reading people's… women's minds for over a century gave him pretty good insight into how the other sex felt regarding certain behaviors. But I would never act like that.

"Did you forget how you once forced yourself on Bella?"

"It was one kiss. And while I thought I was in love I was also a stupid teenager who was also fighting for her life," as foolish as that now seemed. "Not because of some caveman alpha behavior."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes!" Nessie's happiness was still my top priority.

"I hope so… for my daughter's sake," he had scowled, but seemed to drop it. For now at least.

I wasn't worried. My natural personality wasn't overbearing or offensive, like those macho alpha jerks portrayed in movies, TV, and books. Edward used to just bring out the worst in me. Nessie loved me for me, and since the Imprinting made me be whatever she wanted, I doubted I could ever act in a way that she disliked or disproved of.

"Edward knew about the change in me when we came back. I think it happened during, or soon after we _did it_ the first time, last night," I winked at Nessie, as I explained the change her father believed I went through.

And he wasn't all wrong. I knew I was different ever since Nessie and I had had sex. I wonder if this was just how all guys felt after their first time?

"Something shifted inside me," I knew she knew it as well, not the specifics, but she knew I was different, at least on some level. I myself had worked a little of it out in the time between my talk with Edward and now but not everything. I was still trying to figure some parts out myself. "Edward thinks I regained my Alpha status. Somehow... I don't know if I'm really making sense but, I don't know exactly... but Edward could hear the change in my thoughts, just briefly before we were under Bella's shield."

"You thought about what we did, during the car ride? Jake... ?" She started to panic.

"No, honey. But everything is different now. It feels like I was sorta asleep, or in a fog, for over a year. Like I was only half awake while you were with Nahuel, or making your mind up between the two of us. Almost as if that Alpha part of me had to shut down, or be suppressed for awhile, to let you two be together. You know... so I wouldn't rip his head off for taking what was mine. I'm not sure exactly how or why but I just feel like I'm back to my old self again."

It was weird. I just told Nessie that she was mine. I know last time I said something like that, it felt so wrong. I remember wincing in embarrassment, that it was wrong to treat Nessie like that, like a possession. But she was mine, just as much as I was hers. We were part of the same whole, and belonged together. I knew that and now I knew she did as well.

Her smile got even bigger than a minute ago. "I know what you're talking about Jacob. You have been different. More like you were when I was growing up. Much more confident, in control, and in charge. Much more the way I love you, the way you're supposed to be," she agreed, before we began kissing lightly again.

"You're right." While something began reawakening in me last night it wasn't until I woke up this morning that I knew something changed. I felt like my old self; well like myself from when I first phased. Strong and powerful. All of the doubt, weakness, and indecision were gone. I realized then what it was - I had claimed my mate. All those stupid feelings of self-doubt were gone.

"Hold that thought Jake," Nessie said as I went to remove her shirt. She grabbed her phone, and per our arrangement with her parents, sent them a warning text. Bella was supposed to have her shield up for the next few days, but they still might hear something, even with the soundproof walls.


	30. Answers Found

**The Blue Moon**

* * *

**Year Six, Chapter Thirty**

**Answers Found**

* * *

Renesmee's Point of View

* * *

The once hot water was now lukewarm and the bubbles were almost gone. I guess I had procrastinated long enough. Not that I was dreading tonight, just the opposite. I was incredibly happy and excited, too excited, and I had turned into a bundle of nerves. I thought a nice long soak in the tub would help me relax. And it did. I had stopped shaking, my heart beat slowed down to an acceptable level, still a little fast but better, and my breathing was under control.

After sneaking a peek at the clock I saw that I had stayed in the bath a way longer than acceptable and was now running late. I quickly toweled off, pinned my hair up in a messy bun, and slipped on some jewelry, before getting dressed.

"Mom, can you come in here for a minute?" I called from my bedroom. A second later she appeared, followed by Aunt Rose and Grandma Esme.

"Oh my goodness, Renesmee. You look so beautiful." If my Aunt Rose was capable of crying I think she would be now.

"Of course she does, she's as beautiful as her mother," Grandma Esme gushed.

"Thanks, guys. But I need a little help, I can't reach," I said while making another attempt to pull up the zipper on the back of my dress.

"Here, let me get that for you. Now do you have everything?" Aunt Rose looked me up and down. "The dress is perfect, heels go well enough… are they comfortable?"

"Why? Will I be doing a lot of walking?" Jake had refused to tell me where he was taking me tonight. He only said to _dress nice_ for our date.

"You'll be fine," she said, waving off my concerns with a flick of her hand. "Now the earrings and necklace work, but I'm not sure about those," she scowled, while pointing to my wrist.

"Aunt Rose, you know I never take off the promise bracelet Jake gave me my first Christmas, and this is the one he just made me this year," I said holding up the lacy birch wood bangle he'd carved. "I have to wear these, I love them. If they don't work with the dress then that's what I'm changing, not my bracelets."

"Calm down, Nessie. I was just messing with you. They're perfect," she jeered.

"Not funny, Aunt Rose." I was already nervous enough about tonight, I didn't need any more anxiety. Tonight was Jake's and my very first Valentine's Day as a couple. He planned the entire evening and I think everyone in the family knew where we were going tonight except me.

"Do you have a purse to put your things in?"

"A purse? Do I need one?" What would I even put it in? I don't wear makeup, thanks to my flawless Vampire skin. Even if I wanted to add a bit of color, makeup won't stick to my skin anymore than it did for the rest of my families. On the plus side, neither did dirt or sweat.

"You'll need something to put your ID and phone in, honey. And you should take some cash and a credit card, just in case," my mother answered.

"I'm going to need money?"

"No, probably not. It's just one of those things left over from my human life. Renée always told me to bring my own money when going out, just in case."

Just in case? Of what? But I didn't argue. "Err, sure, I guess." Two seconds later Aunt Rose handed me a purse. I think it was one from my mother's closet. When I went to open it, to put in my phone and other items in, I saw that she had already taken care of that for me.

"I guess that's it then," I said, giving myself a once over in the mirror.

"One more thing." Grandma Esme handed me a coat. It was rather cold outside, for humans anyway. The purse and coat must have meant I was going to be around them tonight.

As we walked out of my room I found Jake in the living room wearing a perfectly tailored dark navy blue suit, with a black button down shirt and long, bright blue tie. I knew it was one of the suits Aunt Alice had gotten him years ago, but up until now it had just hung in the back of our closet. I'm glad he took it out. He looked so sexy in it. Jake hardly ever dressed up this much, except the few weddings we went to, but tonight he looked... just… wow!

Even on the few dates Jake and I had recently gone on, he mostly stuck to some slacks and a nice shirt or sweater. Nicer than his usual tee shirt and jeans, but nowhere near as dressed up as tonight.

"Nessie, hi beautiful," he grinned to me, after my father gave him a slight nudge from behind. It looked like he was caught in a trance and forgot how to speak for a second. "You look lovely. Ready to go?"

"Um, maybe. Is what I'm wearing okay for tonight? Do I look alright?"

"Yeah, I think it might do," he chuckled. "Nessie, you would look amazing in a potato sac," he said, slightly more seriously.

"Well am I overdressed? Underdressed? Can't you just give me a hint?" I wasn't sure how dressed up to be. I thought a floor length gown would be too much, but didn't want to go too casual with a sundress, so I settled for a cocktail dress. It was in a plain, dark silver, with wide shoulder straps, scoop neckline, and a pencil skirt that fell just above my knees, but it had a slit that went halfway up my left thigh, so I was still able to move easily.

"You're just going to have to wait and see, honey. But trust me, you look perfect."

After a quick kiss between Jake and me, since my parents, Aunt, and Grandmother were standing right there, I hugged the four of them, and then Jake and I got in his car, headed off to... wherever.

I'm sure, as excited as they were for me, my family was eager for us to leave as well. Each couple had their own plans for tonight. And I knew that my parents were spending the night in; they had asked that we stay out for at least three hours.

It turned out not to be an issue. We didn't return home until the next morning.

Knowing how much we both loved them, Jake took me to a vintage car show happening nearby, followed by dinner and a walk under the stars, and ended the night at the Mountain View Grand Resort & Spa in Whitefield, NH.

Everything had been amazing. The holiday unfortunately fell on a Tuesday this year, so we could only stay the one night. We had classes to get to, but before we left Jake arranged for us to get side by side massages. It was the perfect end to a perfect Valentine's.

* * *

Jacob's Point of View

* * *

Alice's yellow Porsche sped past Nessie and I, stopping in front of the Doc and Esme's house, just as we were about to get in my car and head off to school. It had been over a month since she and Jasper had gone to South America, to see if they could locate Nahuel's sisters.

It was February eighteenth and they had already missed the first three weeks of classes, after the winter break ended at Dartmouth. Finding out what was going on with Joham was deemed more important than school. I just wondered what their story was going to be to explain their absence, and not draw suspicion. Knowing Alice, I'm sure she had everything all worked out.

"Family meeting," Alice called as she and Jasper exited her car and vanished into the house.

"I guess she and Jasper found some answers." Nessie grabbed my hand. "Come on. Maybe if we hurry we'll only miss our morning class and we can still make it to French this afternoon?"

When we walked into the house, the living room had already been rearranged to now hold the dining room table. Almost everyone was already sitting down around it, including Nahuel.

"Should we wait for Esme?" Bella asked.

Nahuel nodded. "I think she mentioned needing to pick up some new swatches for a chair she wanted to recover. She should be back soon."

Alice looked like she spaced out for a second before returning to the present and announced that Esme was happily off on some design tangent and would be gone for hours. She would let her know everything later.

"So what's this news? What have Nahuel and the rest of his screwed up family done now to endanger our lives?" Rose asked.

Emmett jumped up and smirked. "Yeah, when do we get to go find Joham and kick his butt?"

"I don't think that will be needed," Jasper said to him, before letting Alice fill us in on what happened.

"After searching for weeks, we finally came across Jennifer's scent and followed it until we found her and her sister, Maysun."

"Were Serena and Joham with them?" Nahuel looked hopeful. If they were there, it meant they were no longer around here to do... whatever he thought Joham had planned for him.

"No," Alice chirped. "Jennifer and Maysun haven't heard from them in over a month. Last time Joham called they were still here. Or at least they were up until a little while ago."

"Here!" I growled along with several others, while Nessie and Carlisle gasped.

"Still?" "Why?" "What are they doing?" "So they are behind the bodies?" "But there hasn't been a body found around here in over two months." "What does this mean?" Everyone was talking over each other and asking questions all at once.

"Joham was behind the bodies!" Jasper yelled, getting everyone's attention, before dropping back down to his normal speaking voice, "It wasn't easy, but with a little... persuasion I got Maysun to tell me the truth. Jennifer knew nothing about it," he added privately to Nahuel. "Joham was upset to learn of Nahuel's change in diet. He was _dropping off_ the women's bodies in a misguided effort to try and get him to revert back to human blood. He hoped that just the mere smell of blood on a fresh young body would prompt Nahuel to relapse back to his true self."

"What about the ones Carlisle found at the hospital?" Bella asked.

"She didn't have any knowledge of those, from what I could tell. It must be someone else." Great, another possible threat.

"She doesn't seem too happy about it, but Jennifer seems to be under the impression that they will be returning home soon," Alice added.

"Not that I would want to see him, but why would Joham not just come talk to me?" Nahuel asked no one in particular."

"And why would he leave?" Emmett added.

"Would that have worked? Really?" Edward asked him. "Nahuel, you changed your diet for a reason. For Renesmee. Would anything he said to you have convinced you to change back?" Nahuel only shook his head. "He must have figured that out and could be why he left. On the other hand since you're no longer with Renesmee he may have assumed, just as we had, that you'd give up your new diet eventually on your own."

"How can you be sure of either one?" Nessie wondered.

"I'm not. But when we all left you and Jake here with him alone, he never took the bait and came after Nahuel or dumped another body," Edward said. "Of course it may have just been that Rosalie and Emmett completely ignored the plan and came back too soon." The annoyance with his adopted brother and sister was evident both on his face and in his voice.

He gasped. "You used me as bait, assuming… hoping," Nahuel corrected, "Joham would attack me?"

"Not exactly," Carlisle calmly stepped in to explain. "We thought if he was still in the area that your father would have made some sort of move. We assumed that Joham would not see you and Renesmee as a threat to him." Nahuel's eyes grew wide. "But I assure you, you were never in any danger. Jacob was constantly patrolling the area, but Joham would have no knowledge of the Wolves, most likely ignoring a stray animal in the forest. And while Alice and Jasper, Edward and Bella, and Esme and I really were searching where we said we were, Emmett and Rosalie were also keeping an eye on you, never ventured too far from the vicinity. I apologize for the deception, but we only kept the truth from you in an attempt to ease some of your worry."

Nahuel huffed, looking disgusted. "So since he didn't try to kill, or pin another murder on me, you concluded that he gave up and left?"

"Essentially." Edward replied. "And Maysun's account seems to confirm it."

"So it's over? I'm… safe?" He didn't look convinced.

"Do you really think that that's it? That it could be that easy?" Nessie asked.

It did seem a little too good to be true. Not that I really cared much about what happened to Nahuel, but Joham was killing innocent women.

"Perhaps. It's still only a theory, but if no new bodies show up, or anything else happens, all we can do for now is wait and see," Jasper said.

"I found Jennifer and Maysun because they were relatively stationary," Alice added, "just like when I originally located Nahuel and Huilen. Joham and Serena must be constantly moving around because I cannot get a fix on their _blank spot_."

"Alright, well for the immediate future I suggest we carry on as usual," Carlisle told everyone. "Nahuel, you should still keep to the house, just in case. No need to put yourself in danger if we are wrong." Nahuel's temporary lighter frame re-shrunk in on itself and he sulked off in the direction of his greenhouse. "Now, I believe some of us are supposed to be in class soon. Everyone please stick to your school schedules. Just keep your eyes out for anything unusual."

"Come on Nessie. If we leave now we can make it to French." I said grabbing her hand and began walking us back to my car.

_Jake, why are we going so fast, class doesn't start for another twenty-three minutes? _she asked me with her gift as we approached the school's parking lot.

"I know, I just thought we could use a little alone time." I said as I pulled into a spot on the back edge of the lot. We were so far away from the buildings I was sure we wouldn't be disturbed. Or seen.

"So what did you want to talk about?"

"I don't want to talk," I said with a smirk as I pulled Nessie onto my lap and began kissing her.

We were a bit squished in the front of my Ferrari but I had the seat pushed all the way back, and had made some adjustments to the cars original design, as I was rebuilding it, so there was even more room up front than the car had originally been designed for. I also had the brilliant idea to make the steering wheel removable, just to be able to get my above average frame in and out of the car easier, but realized its other advantages, as I took it off now.

Tap, tap, tap.

What the...?

"Dudes! About time," someone yelled.

Looking out the car's side window I saw it was Rob, grinning stupidly and giving me a thumbs up.

How had he found us? And what was he even doing way back here?

I hoped Nessie wouldn't be mad or embarrassed by the interruption. I didn't think she would be. She never seemed to care what humans thought about her. Just as I thought, she smiled and rolled her eyes at Rob's back as he jogged away, laughing the entire time.

"Well, that was fun, but I guess we should head to class," Nessie huffed a second later. Though there was a small smile still on her face I knew she was upset. Not about being caught by Rob, but that our make out session was cut short. "Rain check?"

"I probably I could be persuaded into another baby making attempt tonight," I smirked. We had been _trying _for just over a month and I was loving every minute of it. For all I knew Nessie was possibly pregnant already. We should really stop and buy one of those tests on the way home.

Once I had gotten over the initial shock of her reproductive deadline I jumped completely onboard with her desire to have a baby. I'd always wanted to have kids… someday, and while it was sudden, I didn't see it as a bad thing. I'd known Nessie her entire life after all. We didn't really need time to just be a couple before a baby "got in the way". I know that's how some (even Nessie for a little while) thought of it, but I didn't. As I explained to her, a child could only add to our love.

I was so happy; I was going to have a family. Well a larger family. I already considered Nessie my family; she was my Imprint and my life after all. And by extension her family was my family, no matter how awkward it was sometimes - mostly in the beginning. But now I would have a family that was mine. Nessie's and my own. Ours. Our Family. I couldn't be happier just thinking about it.

No one knew how long a half-Vampire/part-Wolf baby would take to grow, but I assumed it would probably be at least a little quicker than a normal humans. Maybe, if we were lucky, and if Nessie was in agreement, we could try for more than one child before she turned seven.

But the whole pregnancy issue got me worried. I didn't want to see Nessie repeat the trauma Bella had gone through. Hearing my concerns, Edward had come to me a few weeks ago, with Carlisle, to assure me that they didn't think Nessie's _eventual_ pregnancy would be as traumatic as Bella's. She was half-Vampire after all, much stronger than a human.

But being a Wolf I was too; but then again, I had been born human. It was only the propinquity to Vampires that triggered the Wolf gene during adolescence. Yet I was _living_ with Vampires. Who knew if that would have any effect on my child's Wolf gene.

There were so many variables, so many questions, and so many unknowns. I just had to have faith. I hadn't Imprinted on Nessie just to knock her up and kill her. Surely the Imprinting magic would never have bound us together this way, if that was to be the end result.

"Jake, are you coming?"

"Huh?" I looked around and saw that Nessie was already out of the car, waiting for me to come out of my contemplative daydream.

We walked towards the picnic tables, just outside our engineering building where we usually met Rob and Andy, and, just as usual, there they were. Rob was wearing a smug look on his face. He better not say anything that might embarrass Nessie.

I quietly pulled him aside. "Rob, hey man. I wanted to talk to you about what you saw back in the parking lot."

"Yeah that was amazing!" he replied not so softly. "I never in my wildest dreams thought I would see an actual 1962 Ferrari 250 GTE up close." Whew. I was relieved he seemed more enamored by my car than what he saw going on inside it. But then it seemed like something dawned on him as his eyes grew wide and his grin got even bigger. "That _was_ you I saw on TV in the bleachers at the Playoffs game, wasn't it? You were sitting in... what? The first or second row at the 50-yard line. How many thousands of dollars did you have to drop for tickets like those?"

Huh? The football game? I hadn't even thought about the cost of the playoff tickets Nessie got me for my birthday. They probably did cost a lot. "Um, they were a birthday present," I simply answered him. I didn't really want to get into it too much.

"A gift?" Rob questioned, a bit disbelievingly. "Yeah, sure it was. Must be nice having that kind of money."

"No, Rob. You don't... I don't -"

"Oh yeah, don't even try to deny it. If you're not loaded then how'd you afford that sweet ride? I wish I had six-figures to splurge on a car. Not everyone has that kind of money to throw around."

Six figures? Is that how much my car would cost if I had bought it?

"It wasn't that expensive, Rob. It was a hunk of junk not too long ago, when I first got it. But I did spend a ton of hours working on it. Nessie too, and her Aunt also lent a hand. Nessie's Aunt actually found most of the parts for it. And Nessie gave me the grill detail as a Christmas present," I added, while pulling my angel into an impromptu thank you kiss.

"Sorry, Jake, but I still don't buy it. Even if you had to buy the thing, piece by piece, it woulda still cost you a fortune."

Sheesh. This never would have happened back in La Push. I had to save up every time I wanted to buy the smallest part for the Rabbit, and even then it was some second-hand, used, broken down, rust covered thing, that I would need to clean and rebuild. I hadn't even noticed the change in myself. When did this happen?

Rose and I just bought the necessary parts online using the family accounts. I never even bothered to think about how much each individual part cost. I guess it was true what Emmett said years ago; that you just get use to having money.

When did this change even happen? It snuck up so gradually. It's not like I went shopping for designer clothes, like some of the rest of the family. I mean I did wear them, but that was only because it was the only thing Alice ever bought for me. It's not like she would even let me shop for myself. And I carved homemade gifts for Nessie's birthday and for everyone on Christmas, those years we celebrated it.

But I guess, thinking back on things, I never thought about how much money I spent on things like food, both at the house and at restaurants when Nessie and I went out to eat. I was enrolled at Dartmouth, which Edward was paying for - that wasn't cheap. Nessie and I were planning on buying a house just so we could pay Seth to fix it up. I lived in an amazing Victorian house with the Cullen's and didn't even give a second thought to how all of the furniture and decorations were expensive designer pieces.

Just thinking back on the newest acquisition, the $30,000+ painting, that Esme had just bought, for the hallway, it dawned on me how different my life was now. Especially compared to Billy's broken down little house in La Push, with the paint chipped walls and leaky roof, not that it was like that anymore, thanks to the Cullen's, but still...

"Rob, I -"

"Psssh... yeah, whatever. I completely understand getting the car," he started to (loudly) whisper into my ear. "If that was what it took to get a juicy little slut like Nessie between the sheets, I would have done it too, if I had that kind of mon -"

"Jake, no!" Nessie yelled just as my fist made contact with Rob's jaw.

"Oh my god!" someone screamed. "Is he dead?"

I was reasonably sure I didn't hit him hard enough to kill him. He was lying on the ground, not moving, but I think I just knocked him out.

Andy knelt down and took his pulse. "No, he's still alive." She slapped him a few times on the opposite side of his head and the jerk began to stir.

"You might want to stay down there, if you know what's good for you," I growled at him.

"Jake, let's just go." Nessie started pulling my arm, but I wasn't through. No one talks about my Renesmee like that.

I though Nessie might say something to Rob, but she just grabbed my hand. _Come on Jake, we need to get out of here, _she tried again.

"Just a minute, sweetheart," I said, giving her a reassuring kiss before kneeled down to speak to Rob. He actually had enough sense to listen to me and not get up.

My words came out very slowly and calmly. I didn't want him to miss a single syllable. "Rob, do you remember back in September, when we talked about the inappropriateness of your comments towards Nessie, and women in general?" he didn't answer so I decided to help him remember by squeezing his arm, not enough to break it… just. "How did you put it... _locker room talk_?" he nodded, and then winced in pain. "Didn't we agree that I never wanted to hear you say anything like that again?" Again I squeezed his arm until he nodded. More pain. Good. I didn't want him to forget this. "Especially about Nessie? She is a lady, just like every other woman, and ALL of them should be treated with respect."

"C'mon J." Hearing him try to speak, I knew I had definitely broken his jaw. Good! "Ya kne I dn't mean 'ting by it. Bit I hev a poi't. Ness's 'n leven. She's freakin gogus. Bit look't me, em an eat, nine et moss. How'd yo spect me ta get gurl like Ness, w'out a litt help?"

What? Was he delusional? And did he just call himself attractive and put himself down in the same breath? And insult his girlfriend on top of everything else? Not to mention he completely missed the point of what I had said. Clearly trying to get through to him wasn't worth my time.

"Hey!" Andy shrieked. She was rightly pissed by his comment and he wasn't helping his case with either of us. "What the hell is that suppose to mean?" she smacked him in his chest. He tried to block her but in his current state was way too slow. "What? Am I not pretty enough for you?" She hit him again and her voice got louder with each sentence. "You think you're so hot you could do better than me? Well, see how you like it -"

Andy kept going and going, yelling and slapping Rob while he tried backtracking, and apologizing to his, soon to be ex-girlfriend, I'm guessing. Seems like my work here was done; him being human, after all, meant there wasn't much more I could do, so I left them, quickly joining Nessie. We swiftly walked off, towards my car. I came to the realization that Rob wasn't worth getting more worked up over. Nessie didn't care about anything he said, and he was most likely getting dumped.

"Sorry, honey," I apologized to Nessie as we approached my car. I hoped this wasn't going to be like the time I punched Edward. "But what he said about you, it just... I know he's human and I shouldn't have -"

"Jake, I understand why -"

"Nessie, Jake," Andy called, as she ran to catch up with us. Oh, great. What did she want? Hopefully she wasn't about to start more trouble. "I'm so glad I found you," she panted. Then took a minute to catch her breath before she began again. She looked nervously at me, but took Nessie's hand and walked her away a couple of feet. Not that that would stop me from perfectly hearing what she was about to say. "I couldn't believe Rob. He had no right to say that about you, Nessie. I mean just because you're sleeping with both Jake and Nahuel, it -"

"We broke up." "She's NOT sleeping with him!" Nessie and I said at the same time. I'd rushed over and instinctively wrapped Nessie in my arms.

She looked startled, either that I heard her too or that we both denied what she said, but seemed to get over it quickly. "Oh, I thought you were... whatever." she waved her hand, figuratively blowing off her own assumptions. "He still shouldn't have said that, I'm going to go get him, before he goes to the hospital, so he can apologize -"

"No thanks, I'm pretty sure it would be worthless anyway," Nessie snapped back. This was the first time I had seen her upset by something a human had done.

"B… but -" Andy stuttered.

I was currently working hard to keep from phasing right there. I was back to being pissed and her upsetting Nessie wasn't helping. "You know what, we're done talking to him, I don't want to be anywhere near him, and I don't want him anywhere near Nessie. Right now I don't even want to talk to you. I think you should leave." I could feel a growl building up in my throat, but I refused to let it escape this time. Andy was human too, and I had already done enough damage to Rob.

"Fine, whatever," she huffed, as she turned and left. Good riddance.

A few minutes later, once Nessie and I were safely in my car, and I had calmed down, I felt bad about how I treated Andy. She didn't deserve that. I would have to call her later and apologize.

On the way home Nessie called Edward and gave him a rundown of the afternoon's events. She spoke with her usual pose and grace, but as soon as she got off the phone she began shaking and squirming in her seat. I could tell she was getting nervous; the ramification of what I had done was just now really dawning on her. I don't know exactly how bad this was going to be but it wasn't going to be good.

"Nessie, I'm sorry about all of that. What Rob said was awful, and I -"

She had started breathing heavy but still found a way to cut me off. "No Jake, don't apologize." She shook her head. "This is my fault. I was with Nahuel and now I'm with you." More deep breaths. I wanted to say something, but knew it was important to her to get out whatever she was about to say. "They're just humans. Of course they'd jump to that assumption. It's not like I broke up with Nahuel in front of them. It's no big deal." She was trying to be strong but I could feel the hurt behind her words, and could see the tears building up in her eyes that she was refusing to shed. A moment later she started to cry and I had to pull over.

"Is that really why you're upset? Because of the humans?" She was crying too much so just shook her head. "Then what is it?"

"I hurt you..." she sobbed, "when I was with him. Even if I didn't sleep with Nahuel you didn't know that."

After wrapping her in my arms to try and control her shaking that was getting worse by the minute, I slipped my finger under her chin to raise her eyes to mine. I didn't want her to miss anything I was about to say. I didn't want there to be any doubt. We'd already been over this, but clearly she needed more convincing. "That doesn't matter to me. I love you. And I didn't get upset about what Andy said. I got upset that what Andy said upset YOU."

"Really?" Her eyes get wide.

"Yeah, really," I confirmed.

By the time we drove up to the house I had managed to calm her down. After giving a final wipe to her tears, we walked in, hand in hand.

Those in the family who weren't in class had been assembled in the living room. I thought everyone was going to be freaked out or upset with me. But instead the Cullens were mostly rolling their eyes at Emmett. From what I could gather he was already well into his France related move questioning, and had been for awhile.

"No, Em. This isn't why we're moving."

"Damn, Alice. What good is it having you around if you can't tell why we're even moving to the other side of the Atlantic?"

"Hey," she scoffed and Jasper growled.

"We'll have to call Jenks and see what needs to be done," Edward decided.

"I could sneak to his place in the middle of the night sometime and cut the brake lines to his car," I half kidded before seeing Carlisle's condemnation riddled face. "Sorry about all of this. I shouldn't have hit him." I wouldn't have apologized but it was Carlisle, and he was just too nice, I had grown to look up to him over the years. It hurt disappointing him like this.

"Don't worry about it Jacob," Edward said. "We understand why you did it. And to be honest, while I wouldn't have hit him in front of everyone, he probably would no longer be alive now either. You should be commended for your restraint."

_No kidding, _I thought just so he could hear.

After a minute Edward spoke again. "How many people witnessed the event?"

"Well Andy was there and a bunch of other people was around but I don't really know them. Nessie?" I looked over at her while she was probably thinking of the exact faces that were there. She had much better recall and memory than me.

"Just six others," his face seemed to indicate that that was a good thing. "I'll acquire the rest of their names tomorrow," Edward announced. "The others were merely bystanders that came along afterwards. We can handle six."

What is that supposed to mean ? They weren't going to kill six innocent people, were they? Because of me? Because of what I did? Crap. What had I done?

My mind was racing. I started thinking about how I would do this? How would I be able to protect the humans from the Cullens? They were my family now, how could I fight my family? I didn't want to do that but I needed to fix this. But how could I protect a bunch of weak humans, against all of them, all by myself? I would have to try. I was a Werewolf after all, it was in my DNA. This was what I was made for.

"Jacob, that's not what we're going to do," Edward huffed. "This can all be taken care of much easier, with just a little bit of money exchanging hands."

Money? How's that going to solve things?

A couple of days later I found out. They called Jenks and within a week Rob, and a few others, including Andy, (apparently my apology phone call didn't go over as well as I had thought) had been paid off. I didn't even want to know how much it had cost. In addition to the money, Rob received the best medical care available, his hospital bills were paid in full, and he was now enrolled at Cal Tech, three thousand miles away.

I wasn't too happy that Rob seemed to have made out in the end, but got the comfort in knowing that he was in pain, at least temporarily, as his jaw healed, and he'd have to eat through a straw for the next two months.

* * *

AN: Thanks for reading. Please review.

Just an FYI - this is not the end of Joham in the story. He's going to cause a lot of trouble by the end of Book two and there will be a few deaths. Keep reading to find out whose.


	31. Renée's Call

**The Blue Moon**

* * *

**Year Six, Chapter Thirty-One**

**Renée's ****Call**

* * *

Renesmee's Point of View

* * *

Mondays were quickly becoming my least favorite day of the week. It meant Jake and I had to go to school. Normally I loved learning, but ever since Jake punched Rob a month ago things were… awkward. Rob was gone but Andy was still here and she was not making things easy for us.

As part of the conditions set when she received the hush money from my family, she'd signed a non-disclosure agreement, but was doing her best to work around it. Nothing direct or overt, she never mentioned the incident or our names, just theoretical musings like… "What do you think might happen to someone if they were caught on camera knocking another person unconscious? Or… "How much force do you think it would take to punch someone out with just one swing? They would have been on something like LSD to do that, wouldn't they?" Or my favorite… "Do you think it's safe for a woman to stay with a man so violent that he would start a fight just because someone said something that upset him?" Not that she ever said any of those things to us, just everyone around us. And with four classes we shared in common it made seeing her every day less than pleasant.

And it's not like I could say anything. It was true… Jake did punch Rob. And he was sent away because of what happened. If it wasn't for me she wouldn't have lost her boyfriend… even if I did think he was a jerk. _She_ had liked him, was hurting, and taking it out on us, that was all that really mattered.

Simplistic, illogical, human logic. Humph! I was getting so tired of it. Having a Soulmate meant I knew real love. Whatever Andy thought she felt for Rob was nothing more than a temporary chemical reaction closer resembling lust than love. She would eventually get over him. What I had with Jacob was love; real, everlasting, unbreakable, true love.

Mmmmm… my Jacob.

I couldn't wait to get home, away from all this ridiculousness. Sometimes… like today, I didn't understand my families desire to want to pretend to be human. If I could, I would lock Jake in a room with me and never come out. If only that were a possibility. But for now I was tense and desperately needed a release.

As soon as we entered the house, I turned and grabbed Jake. We had driven straight home as soon as class ended so I didn't have to wait long. Jake must have felt the same; I could see it in his eyes, even though he tried hiding it. He hadn't revealed anything while we were at school, if you didn't count the now slightly bent, solid steel chair leg he had been sitting in. And I knew it wasn't anger at what Andy had said, he sympathized with her. Not at first, but after the first few weeks he'd settled down and now felt more guilty than mad.

After we finished another tremendous kiss I grabbed his arm and led him to our bedroom, discarding torn shreds of clothing as we went.

One hour and thirty-seven earth shattering minutes later I was more than satisfied. And judging by the grin on his face, I'm pretty sure Jake was, too.

"I'm going to go take a quick shower," Jake said while giving me sweet little kisses on my cheek and running his fingertips up and down my arms.

Mmmm, even after everything we just did that little gesture still felt amazing. "Alright, honey. Love you."

I would join him, but that would just lead to more of what we had just done and I knew Jake was hungry. His stomach started growling just as we were finishing... um, things. I could shower later. Right now I was headed towards the kitchen to start making us, well mostly Jake, some lunch.

Riiiiingggg. Riiiiingggg.

Was that my mother's ringtone? I knew she wasn't here to answer her cell so I changed direction and proceeded towards the living room to check and spotted her phone sitting on the coffee table.

Riiiiingggg. Riiiiingggg.

Her phone went to voicemail after the sixth ring, but as far as I knew it had never before. Normally it never left her side. She had left it behind today, not wanting to risk losing, or breaking it again, while she and my father were off hunting caribou, just north of Montreal.

Riiiiingggg. Riiiiingggg.

Even though my mother couldn't get hurt by a giant animal, her clothes could. She had a habit of coming home in ripped or shredded rags. And even when she didn't, thanks to Aunt Alice, they left few places, if any, to hold a phone. And my father had his, in case I, or someone else, needed to get in touch with either of them.

Riiiiingggg. Riiiiingggg.

She and my father had been taking a lot of _extended_ hunting trips ever since Jake and I got together. I felt bad for my dad, but I loved Jake, and he loved me, and we were not doing anything wrong. And my father kept saying he would get use to us being together... eventually.

Riiiiingggg. Riiiiingggg.

We were putting a lot on him, but he was handling things as well as could be expected. Even if he was having a bit of trouble with it at the moment, we knew it would not last forever.

Riiiiingggg. Riiiiingggg.

That was number six. It would go to voicemail now, and whoever was calling would try my father's phone instead. I'm actually surprised they'd let it ring so long.

For now, my father had done what he said he would do. He'd said he would remove himself from our general vicinity if _things_ got to too much for him, which seemed to be happening a lot lately. Hence the preemptive hunting trip to Montreal.

Riiiiingggg. Riiiiingggg.

Who could still be calling? Everyone in the family knew to call my father if they couldn't reach my mother, and vice versa. Maybe there was some emergency with them. I could feel my heart start to race as panic started to set in. My hand shot out so fast I almost knocked the phone off the table, but at the last millisecond managed to grab the thing.

"Hell-o?" I meant to have my voice come out calm, just in case, by some slim chance that nothing was wrong – that one or both of my parents weren't dead, or on the run from the Volturi, but the way my life had gone up until this point it didn't seem likely. So try as I might the crack my voice made at the end of such a small and simple word ruined my attempt at a composed greeting.

"Bella? Is that you?"

I didn't recognize the voice and had neglected to check the caller id, never dreaming some unknown person would be calling. But this was good, it meant that most likely my parents were fine, and I instantly calmed down.

"Um, no. I'm sorry she's… out at the moment. May I take a message?"

"Oh, yeah, sure. Just tell her that her mother called." Nana Renée? I'd never met her before. "Phil's team's playing in the area, so we'll be stopping by to visit next week." She was coming here?

I grew excited, then nervous, within the span of a half second. I'd never met her and she hadn't seen her daughter in six years. My mother hadn't aged a day since then, and looked entirely different than she had from the pictures I'd seen of her when she was human.

Wait... "Next week? I don't know if that's the best time to come."

"Oh, don't worry. I know my daughter. It'll be fine."

"Do you have the address?" Maybe she didn't know we were living in New Hampshire and she was going to be traveling to Washington.

"I think so. Um..." At first I thought she hung up because she stopped talking but then I heard a bunch of noises on the other end of the line. It was hard to identify everything but I think I heard some papers shuffling, and I think whatever she was doing caused a few things to fall on the floor, I definitely heard something break, then she cursed a couple of times. "Here it is… 112, no wait, 121 Farmers House Way. Is that right?"

Of course. She knew my parents were going to Dartmouth for college. Someone must have told her the address. But who? It didn't seem like the smartest thing to do but it hadn't been my call.

"Yes, that's it. Maybe you should talk to Bella first, in case she..." But before I could try and dissuade her, she hung up.

Quickly dialing my father's number, even though the idea that they were in any danger was mostly subsided I needed to make sure, for my own peace of mind.

"Dad! Um… hi." Yikes, I sound stupid. "How's hunting?"

"Everything's fine, Renesmee" he replied. Of course they were fine, and I immediately felt silly for even thinking they had been in danger. They were two of the most powerful Vampires on the planet. "Why? Has something happened? Do we need to come back? Is it Joham?" I could hear the panic creeping into his voice.

"No, you don't need to come back. But I did need to tell you something and didn't think it could wait." In truth it probably could have waited until they got home tomorrow, but then I would have to spend the night worrying needlessly.

Just as I was finishing explaining Nana Renée's call to him, during a moment where no one was talking, (my father was probably thinking about how to best handle the situation) Jake wandered in and grabbed my waist from behind me with his big, strong, perfectly defined arms. Yum.

"Hey, beautiful. Did you decide to skip lunch and go for round three?" he whispered into my ear, but loud enough my father would also be able to hear. I guess he didn't realize I was on the phone. My hair probably obscured his view of the phone, and the bedroom was soundproof after all.

I turned around, still in Jake's arms, but used my gift to tell him that my father on the line.

"Oops," he mouthed over to me, while still grinning. Oops, was right. Even though Jake and I had been trying to control ourselves around my father, mostly... sometimes, we couldn't always help our thoughts. And we did try to limit what we did and said in front of him with limited success.

"Sorry Edward," Jake snorted toward the phone, but didn't stop kissing my neck. He didn't really seem to care, or was too caught up in what he was doing.

"Yeah, um, sorry dad," I said as I tried maneuvering my way out of Jacob's grasp. I loved him, and loved being with him, but I also needed to concentrate. All I managed to do though was give Jake a better angle to unzip and pull down my pants.

"It's alright. I... understand," my father choked out. He sounded like he was trying to not make a big deal out of it and trying even harder to make it seem like he couldn't hear anything but my voice on the line, but he had even better hearing than I did, if I heard Nana Renée, he could hear exactly what Jake was doing. "Your mother and I will be home later this evening to assess the situation," he quickly added.

They were going to hurry back. That meant this was serious. "Do we need to have another family meeting?"

"I don't think that will be necessary. Bella and I should be able to handle your Grandmother ourselves. But please let the rest of the family know we will be returning early," he said before ending the call without even saying goodbye. I was going to have to apologize when he got home… if I could ever look him in the eye again.

"Are you still hungry?" I asked Jake. I should be mad at him, but it just felt so good.

"Na uh," he garbled, still too occupied in his current… task.

"Are you sure?" I cooed, while running my fingers through his hair.

"Busy," was all I got in reply.

"Jake, you need to eat. You used a lot of energy this morning." He was using a lot of energy right now. I knew he was hungry, the sounds his stomach was making again was getting so loud a partially deaf human would be able to hear it across the room.

"Fiv ma mi-nus," he mumbled almost incomprehensibly.

Five minutes? Yeah right. We were never that quick. "Come on honey," I wined, I didn't want to but I also didn't want him to starve. "I'll make you a deal." I didn't think he would go for it just yet, but there must have been something in the tone of my voice that suggested he would like what I was about to propose because he actually stopped. Using my gift I showed him exactly how I would reward him for… not stopping what he was doing, just delaying it. I was enjoying it too, after all.

"After you eat we have to go find everybody," I reminded Jake as I led him into the kitchen. He pouted. "But then we should have at least four hours until my parents get back."

That made him smile.

* * *

My parents returned that night like expected and wanted to know exactly what Nana Renée said. My father didn't mention anything about what he heard in the background of our phone call, but was having trouble keeping the façade of calm on his face. At least it was more embarrassment than anger… for Jacob's sake, anyway.

"I think you need only to call Renée and inform her that we would love to see her and Phil, but we are going to be away for spring break next week. Would that be alright?" my father asked my mother as he handed her her phone. Jake had told me story after story about my human mother, including what a horrible liar she had been, but now, like with everything else, she was perfectly good at it as a Vampire.

My mother seemed to think the plan would work only if she stressed that they had already booked and paid for everything – the flight, hotel, rental car, etc…

"Just make sure you also mention that we'll come visit them this summer in Florida," my father added.

How was delaying seeing her by a few months going to help? "You're going to Jacksonville?" I didn't know that.

"No, but we just need to prevent her from coming here, and then this summer we'll have to call again and cancel," my mother shook her head. "Renée was always doing things like that, when I was growing up. Making plans, breaking them, making new ones, changing her mind at the last minute, it went on and on. She did the same thing with jobs, religions, fitness and diet fads, just about everything. She probably won't even question it."

"Um, guys… Bella? Do you know what time it is?" Jake asked as she started to dial my grandmother's number.

"Of course, it's 11:43. Why Jake?"

"Well I know you don't sleep anymore but humans, like your mother, do. You might want to wait to call until tomorrow morning," he offered.

"Oh, right," my mother said as she put her phone down. "You guys should be getting to bed, too. We'll see you in the morning."

"Good night, mom, dad," I said giving each of them a hug.

"Night Bells, night Eddie." Jake jeered while he used the nickname he knew my father hated, and we headed off to our room, together.

As I looked back I expected to see my father glaring back at him, but was surprised to see him actually smiling. Hmmm. That's... interesting?

* * *

Jacob's Point of View

* * *

Don't think about Nessie.

Don't think about Nessie.

Don't think about Nessie's big beautiful eyes.

Don't even think about her long, luscious bronze curls.

Oh, and those long slender legs. They looked so good the other day in the purple skirt she was wearing.

Focus Jacob!

Don't think about her tiny little waist.

Don't think about that little spot on her neck.

Especially don't thing about her tight little...

_Argh! Jake, we talked about this. Get control of your thoughts if you want us to continue phasing together. _

_ Oops, sorry Leah_. I know it was my idea, guilt tripping Leah into it after telling her how much I missed having the Pack in my head, but she warned me about this. I guess she was right.

_Uh, huh. So I take it that things have progressed with you and your Imprint... finally. _

_Yeah, they did. The other day was so much fun. I didn't realize Nessie's stamina..._

_Jake! _she mentally screamed at me.

Hey, it's been two months and this is the first time I've slipped, and thought about the two of us together when I phased with Leah. I was kinda proud of myself, doing so well until now.

_ Sorry, you're the one who brought her back up. _Up until today I've managed to avoid thinking of Nessie in a non PG way while Leah and I were both Wolves. I'd assumed I would have slipped long before today.

_ So, how's the hunting going? Kill lots of innocent bunnies?_

Ha, it would take a few dozen rabbits to fill her up. _Nessie just nabbed a deer. She usually only drinks one a week, occasionally two, but that's rare. _

_That's still gross. _

_Would you rather her feed from humans? _I asked her, knowing what the answer would be.

_Of course not, don't be ridiculous_. I could actually feel the repulsion in Leah's mind.

_So what? You want her to starve?_

_She's half-human. Can't you make her a burger or something?_

_She doesn't like human food. _Mostly

_I've seen her eat it before. The La Push bonfires, after Embry's court hearing, and when you helped us move in here. A bunch of other times, too. _

_I never said she _can't_ eat human food; she just doesn't like it, Leah. She prefers the taste of blood. She IS half-Vampire, after all. _

"Jake? Are you okay?" Nessie was hugging my neck and scratching behind my ear, like one would do to a real dog. I loved it when she would do that, if felt so good… natural and right, in a weird sort of way. But why did she think anything was wrong?

_Um, Leah, I gotta go. I'll check in with you same time next week. Okay?_

_Sure, whatever, _she huffed right before our connection ended.

"Nessie, what's wrong?" I asked her, as soon as I had phased back myself.

"I don't know, exactly. It's probably nothing. I just thought... it's silly I guess. I just thought you felt agitated. And I you looked upset… I think. What was wrong? Did you hear something?"

"Huh? No. I was speaking with Leah. Wolf telepathy, remember?" Of course she would. It was silly of me even to ask.

"So what did she say about me that got you upset this time?" Then Nessie shook her head and put up her hands. "You know what? Don't tell me. I don't care. And neither should you. I know she doesn't like me. Its fine," she shrugged.

"No, Nessie. It's not. You're my Imprint. The most sacred rule for Wolves is to not harm another's Imprint. That includes mental harm, if only to avoid harming the Wolf. She knows that whatever harms you, harms me. Which makes us all weaker – even if it is just the two of us, but it doesn't matter."

"So by hurting me, she's hurting you, and thereby hurting herself."

"Essentially." I knew she would get it, easily. "That's why it is so forbidden. Wolves need to be strong to do our job. And I don't want her to hurt you regardless of what it would do to me, or her. I never want anything to hurt you, honey."

"I know Jake. But I'm fine. Don't sweat it. Didn't you talk about anything else?" Nessie asked me attempting to change the subject. I guess I should confess my slip up. Better to get it over with now, than have her learn about it later from Eddie, or even worse – Leah.

"Um, sort of. I should tell you that I kinda messed up. Leah caught me thinking about what we did the other day. She saw everything. I was trying not to think about it... really."

"Oh," she blushed a little embarrassed, then did something she never had – at least not _because_ of me… she hid behind her hair. "I guess that's understandable," she whispered. "Things like that must have happened all the time when you guys lived in La Push, right?"

"Please don't do that," I said as I slid her hair back behind her ear. I didn't want her hiding from me and I needed to see her face, her eyes. I needed to know what she was thinking. "Talk to me," I smiled, hoping to diffuse some of the tension. I knew she would be embarrassed that Leah had seen some of our most private, intimate moments together. It was my fault but I didn't think it would be this bad for her. When she didn't say anything I knew what I had to do. "Okay, if it bothers you that much I won't phase with Leah anymore. As Wolves we've all seen things we wished we hadn't. And shared things we tried to keep private. It's almost impossible not to think about certain things, especially when that thing is something as amazing as you are, honey," I smirked while pulling her close to me. I wanted to kiss that little space on her neck that made her make that sound I loved so much, but first I needed to fix this.

"I'm sorry," she said, for some reason feeling the need to apologize. "First my father heard us and now Leah's seen everything. It's just a little overwhelming."

"Edward hasn't heard anything. Bella's had her shield up." I made sure one of us always texted them every time we were about to do anything even remotely sexual. Did I miss something, was I wrong? "Hasn't she?"

She slid her hair back in front of her face. "He could hear you when he was on the phone with me yesterday."

Oh crap! I had even thought about that. I mean I was pretty sure he would hear something, but that he had figured out exactly what the noises were, not that I was being that loud, I had been trying to be as quiet as possible, but still... yikes!

Now it was my turn to apologize. "I'm so sorry. You know I would never intentionally do something to hurt or embarrass you right? I didn't mean to put you through that."

"I know." She peaked around her hair. "And it's my fault as much as yours; I didn't exactly stop you."

"Well I guess it does kind of make us even now." She looked horrified by that. "With your parents I mean," I quickly amended. "Now he knows what it was like for us having to listen to them at the cottage, in Forks," I started chuckling.

"I guess you're right," she laughed back.

Once she stopped I went back to the other problem – Leah seeing my thoughts about her. "So are you going to be okay?"

"I will be. Really I don't know why I'm so upset. I should have expected it. I mean I knew it was a probability."

"I won't phase with Leah again until you're comfortable with it." If ever. "I promise." It was an easy one to make. I couldn't put her through that if I could help it.

"No Jacob." Her head shot up. Finally I could see her face, fully and she looked determined. "Phasing with another Wolf is something you need. I can't upset you just because I'm embarrassed. If Emily and Rachel and all the other Imprints can deal with it, so can I."

I wasn't so sure I believed her, but even if I stopped regularly phasing with Leah, there was bound to be sometime in the future, whether planned or not, when I was phased around another Wolf and something would slip. It was only a matter of when. As much as I hated to admit it she was right, it WAS something she was just going to have to deal with.

* * *

A.N. Thanks for reading.

I know that wasn't the best ending to the chapter. I'll have to edit it if i think of anything, but right now i think my brain is fried. It just needs a sentence or two to end it... any ideas?


	32. False Security

**The Blue Moon**

* * *

**Year Six, Chapter Thirty-Two**

**False Security**

* * *

Renesmee's Point of View

* * *

Two Italian subs, heavy on the peppers, a tub of coleslaw, and another filled with potato salad, two bags of chips, a couple waters, one container of strawberries, three candy bars, and a blanket, all fit nicely into the picnic basket, once again. I don't think my potato salad came out as good as the one that Jake made last time; mayonnaise just seemed gross to me, but hopefully he would like it.

My plan was to try and recreate our first kite flying attempt that was cut short when Jake broke his arm, falling out of the tree.

I'd already gone to the store and picked up five kites for this afternoon. If we lost one in a tree again, there would be plenty of backups. I didn't want a repeat of last time.

"You're _sure_ you're okay with this?" I asked Jake one last time before we headed out the door to the same location as last time.

"Yeah, I think everything will be fine, but if you even see me walk towards a tree make sure you start smacking me over the head, or tackled me to the ground, or something," he laughed.

"Hmmm, tackle you to the ground? That sounds like a fun idea," I chuckled back.

"In that case, I'll be sure to tangle my kite in a tree in the first twenty seconds."

The kite flying went off without a hitch this time, thankfully, but the picnic lunch... not so much. The potato salad, that I was so worried about, he ended up gobbling up in under a minute. But I could tell there was something wrong with the Italian subs I made. I know he likes spicy food, so I put a bunch of peppers in them. I thought I used the same varieties and amounts that he had, but obviously I mixed something up. Jake never said anything but he didn't eat it as fast as everything else. It actually looked like it was a struggle for him to get through, which was saying a lot for a Wolf to not be able to eat something. It must have really been bad. When he was done he downed an entire bottle of water in one chug then dove into the potato salad.

While we ate we talked.

But spending almost every single minute of every single day together left little we didn't already know about each other. In desperation I asked him how Leah was doing.

My Aunt wasn't my biggest fan but I was happy to hear that she was enjoying the job she got out here and Jake said that she seemed to be doing well in school. Even though she never hid her feelings about exactly how she felt about me I could never bring myself to feel the same about her. She was out here to, not only look after her brother, but was helping Jake too. I never realized how hard it was for him to be an Alpha without a Pack. Jake and Leah, Alpha and Beta as my mother once called them. A two Wolf Pack was better than nothing.

"Did Fisher talk to Seth about the new appliances?" Jake asked me. Jack Fisher was an intermediary we hired to represent us, so Seth would not know about Jake's and my plan to secretly help him out financially.

When we told my Grandma Esme about our idea to buy a house to have Seth refinish she thought it was perfect. She was able to help us whenever we had a question or needed some advice. She even found the perfect house. It was a small place, a couple of miles from where Seth was currently living. My Grandma checked out the place beforehand and let us know that the house didn't need that much work; some paint, spackle, refinishing the floors, updating appliances and lights, and fixing a few leaky faucets. An easy flip. The only major thing that needed to be done was having a new septic tank installed. We told Fisher that he was to make it clear to Seth that he was to just contract someone to remove and replace the unit. All of the other things we were sure he could handle.

"Yup, he gave Seth the budget and he should be picking them out now. Oh and the septic company is coming by on Monday."

"So soon?" Jake seemed surprised.

"They said it was better if it was done now. If they wait until fall the ground will start to freeze, and this way it'll give the new grass time to grow. Hopefully, by replacing it now, the stink will be gone by the time the house is done."

Why did I just bring up septic tanks? This was veering wildly out of control. We were supposed to be having a fun, romantic picnic, not talking about the smell of feces oozing out of the ground.

There was a new movie coming out soon I wanted to see. I had planned on seeing it with Aunt Rose, but maybe Jake would want to go with me instead. I knew he would go if I asked, but it was a Rom-Com, not the typical movie he enjoyed, and I didn't want him to be miserable for two hours, but I needed to talk about something other than sewage.

"If Adam Sandler is in it I'll enjoy it," he informed me.

After we set a date to go see _Just Go With It_ the following Friday I thought things were back on track enough that I set the real reason for this picnic in motion.

Just like the first time we were here I had been snacking on strawberries while Jake ate the rest of the food.

"Jake, do you want a strawberry," I asked once again, before popping the last one into my mouth. When he saw it poking half out between my lips I could see the realization of what I was going for dawned on him. He smiled and gladly bit it in half while kissing me all in one motion, just like I had hoped he would have done last time.

The amalgamation of the strawberry flavor mixed with the taste of Jake lips on mine was overwhelming. What started as a subtle tingle of desire at the back of my throat got stronger and stronger. I was chewing my half of the berry as Jake and I continued to kiss, but I wanted more. It was so good. Too good. His scent wasn't like a perfume or cologne that was on the outside of him. It was in him. It came from his blood. I remembered the taste on my lips, from when I was a baby and would bite his fingers when my family didn't have a bottle of donated blood ready for me fast enough. Not that I ever drank from him back then, but I knew it would be delicious. Much better than the combination of his scent mixed with strawberry I was devouring right now. His tongue was already in my mouth. If I just bit down a little the skin would break; not hard, I didn't want to hurt him, but if I was careful I could just take a few sips. Jake healed fast and…

Wait!

What was I thinking? I couldn't drink from my Jacob.

I've always thought he smelt wonderful. His scent had never bothered or repulsed me, like it did my family. To me he smelled clean and fresh, like the woods – a combination of cedar and pine, mixed with motor oil, from working on cars all the time; though that part wasn't naturally occurring I loved how well the different aromas mixed together on him.

But today was different. I never before thought about how Jacob would _taste_. How his blood would taste. I haven't drunk human blood since I was a baby, not that Jake was entirely human, but I didn't want to start now. I was proud to be able to control my thirst and follow my family's vegetarian lifestyle. But more importantly I could never hurt my Jacob like that.

It took every ounce of strength and control I had gained over my short life, but I managed to pull away, breaking the kiss before I did something I would regret.

Not wanting to alarm him I just smiled and looked over at some birds that flew into a tree near us. Luckily before Jake noticed something was wrong, both of our phones received a text from my father. He asked us to return home. It seemed my grandfather needed to talk to everyone.

Maybe afterwards I could talk to him and see if he knew why I suddenly craved Jake's blood.

Maybe.

Today could have been a fluke. I didn't want to alarm anyone.

No.

I decided I wouldn't say anything unless it happened again.

* * *

Jacob's Point of View

* * *

When Nessie and I returned from our picnic the Doc informed everyone that another two bodies turned up at the teaching hospital, hidden among those donated for students to learn from. Just like before, all the donation paperwork seemed to be in order, but Carlisle could smell traces of venom, and even though whoever did this tried to disguise them, the Doc said he could still make out the almost indistinguishable bite marks.

Bodies had been turning up, off and on since November, five months ago. As disgusting as it sounded, none of the Cullens were concerned at first. We never ran into who was doing this, and they were being responsible, disposing of their victims in a matter that wouldn't draw attention to them or us. But it seemed like a lot of victims for just one Vampire. And the deliveries were getting more frequent.

Alice assured us it wasn't the Volturi. But then who was it? If we'd known earlier what Joham was doing - killing girls and dumping their remains with Nahuel, we might have considered him as the source when this first started. But we hadn't. Now that we knew Alice and Jasper still were convinced that it wasn't him either. They believed what Maysun had told them about her father and sister. Although Alice couldn't see them, Jasper assured us he didn't sense any deception coming from her when they'd met. And according to them Joham and Serena should have left the area and returned home weeks ago. These bodies were fresh.

The possibility that it was another newborn army was raised. But newborns wouldn't have the presence of mind to hide the bodies. Someone older would have had to create them in the first place; they could have done this. But again that didn't make sense. An army would leave behind many more bodies.

None of this made any sense.

Alice kept searching and searching and turned up nothing each time. She was getting worried. We all were. More and more people were being murdered, and Alice couldn't see who was behind it. Something was up.

Who were they? What were they hiding? And how were they doing it? Were they planning something big? On the local humans? On us? That was the problem; we had no way of knowing.

Of course all of this worrying could be for nothing. The fact that Alice couldn't see them could just be this Vampires gift.

"I think it is time we went on the offensive," Jasper announced much to most of our surprise, but not all.

Finally! The Wolf in me hated having to stand by all these months and do nothing.

Emmett looked excited too, but for a different reason. He'd been bored lately at not having anything to do besides school and Rosalie, but now looked almost giddy. "Hell, yeah!" he jumped up and punched the air. "Screw just waiting around for whomever to make their next move. Let's do this."

"First, we'll have to draw them out, maybe alert the Volturi," Rose added, much more calmly.

"We need to find them first, we don't even know who _they_ are," Bella needlessly reminded her.

"Rose, Bella's right." Of course Edward would agree with his wife. "What would you suppose we do? Go to the Volturi and tell them some unknown Vampire is feeding from people, but we have no idea who they are. They're not attracting any attention, not breaking any of our laws, and we only found out about their presence in the area by chance. They'd think we're crazy."

Carlisle agreed "The Volturi won't intervene. As much as I despise the loss of life, whoever is behind this has behaved perfectly according to our laws."

"Let's just work on finding the Vampire or Vampire's responsible first," Jasper suggested.

"And how do you suppose we do that?" I questioned.

"I have an idea." He spoke like whatever he was about to say was the most obvious thing in the world. "One or more of us should get a job at the teaching hospital's procurement dock. When they drop off the next body we'll be waiting."

"Victim!" I corrected him.

"Of course Jacob, I'm sorry, _victim_," he said, more to placate me than anything. "Carlisle have you noticed any pattern to the arrival of the... victims?"

"Not in the beginning, but as time has gone on, the arrival of the bodies has fallen into a pattern of sorts. Nothing too obvious, but they seem to arrive every four to five days when solely a single body. When two arrive simultaneously they appear every eight to nine days, but only after a ten day break in between a single to double deposit, then once a double victim dump has taken place three days will pass until the four to five day pattern returns."

Huh? Did that make sense to everyone else? Looking around the room, it looked like it did. Whatever.

"So based on that, it seems like the next body should arrive either Monday or Tuesday if they come after four or five days or Friday or Saturday if they follow the eight to nine day schedule," Edward mused.

"Of course, since I cannot be there all the time without drawing unwanted attention to myself, there is a chance more bodies, excuse me, victims, showed up while I wasn't at the facility, thus throwing the timetable I calculated off." Carlisle actually looked like he was sorry that he was unable to be there twenty-four/seven.

"In that case, I guess we'll have to have someone there all the time then."

"More than one of us, Jasper."

"And whoever it is would need to be able to handle being around human blood." Bella looked over to Jasper apologetically for even making the observation. She knew how much he'd want to be a part of catching whoever was behind this, but it didn't seem possible. He was the weakest when it came to blood and would probably be overwhelmed by the smell and forget all about the Vampire we were trying to catch.

"Well, I think that takes me out," Nessie spoke up. Was she crazy for thinking she was going to be one of the ones going before Bella's statement? There was no way she was ever getting close to whoever was doing this. At least now I didn't have to try and talk her out of it. But I could help, though.

"I don't believe that is wise, Jacob. If whoever is behind this were to get even a whiff of you, before they dumped the body, they may change tactics and we would lose our shot."

"Why would they even know I was there, Edward? None of your kind knows what we smell like, unless they've already encountered a Wolf before, and there are few who lived who have," I chuckled.

"It could have been one of those who witnessed for the Volturi. They would know your scent."

Oh, I guess that was true. "Sure, sure. So who's left then?"

"I don't have class this afternoon. I can go then," Bella offered.

"No, it's too dangerous." Sheesh, when was Edward going to stop treating her like a breakable little doll. She wasn't a weak little human anymore. "I know you could handle one Vampire, darling, but we don't know how many of them there are. I think whoever goes, we should all double up."

"Fine, then you come with me," she offered.

"And leave the rest of us defenseless?" Rose snipped.

"Rosalie is right; we should make sure each team contains at least one person with a gift. I won't be able to join you since I work upstairs in the hospital already, and my being there more would look suspicious," Carlisle told us. "Renesmee, Jacob, and Jasper are out. That leaves Esme, Edward, Bella, Rosalie, Emmett and Alice. Do any of you think you'll be unable to handle the temptation of all of the blood? It won't be as tempting as fresh blood. The human body starts to decay shortly after death, tainting the flavor. And deliveries will also have been refrigerated, and enclosed in bodybags, diminishing the scent."

"If we're going in groups it should be fine," Esme said hesitantly.

"You don't have to do this, if you think it will be too hard, I don't want you to make yourself uncomfortable, my darling."

"No, I can handle it," she assured her husband. "But we should all make sure we're well fed beforehand."

"A very wise idea. And we'll need to make arrangements for everyone to begin working at the hospital. I have made some connections there and believe I can get all of you jobs fairly easily, but the man in charge of the procurement department can sometimes be difficult... Rosalie, would you mind accompanying me."

What was she going to do to convince this guy to hire the six of them?

"Rose is just as capable of _dazzling_ men, as I'm with women." Edward leaned over and whispered.

"Yeah, and she better only be dazzling him," Em grunted, disturbed at the thought of his wife flirting with another man.

"Oh please, don't be ridiculous, Emmett. I'm more than capable of getting any man to do exactly what I want, without even having to lay a hand on them," she smirked.

"Alright then, if that's settled I propose the following coupling - Bella and Rosalie, Emmett and Alice, and Edward and Esme." Carlisle suggested.

"But I can't see anything." Alice whined.

"That's why I believe you would be best paired with Emmett, his size and strength should more than make up for it, and we're not sure why you don't seem to be able to see anything. If you're the one to confront them you may still be able to see something then, when needed."

Eventually, with a little more dazzling, everyone involved was able to rotate schedules with school and hunting but it turned out it was another dead end. The bodies were delivered by some intermediary, transport person.

With the pretext of casual conversation Edward read his mind and found out that the guy was a paramedic and body transfers were just something he moonlit in. The guy would receive a call on his cell phone to pick up a body, per usual. The only thing that was different when he was picking up the Vampires victims was that no one was there to meet him; the bodies were just waiting on a gurney in an empty room, with the completed paperwork lying on top.

Jasper tried running the number the transport guy had but the cell phone was traced back to a burner phone. He put a trace on it but the phone was never used again. Whoever was doing this was meticulous, and a genius. But that led to its own suspicions. They were almost being too careful, almost. As if they knew we were trying to track them down and were doing everything in their power to stop us.

* * *

"Alright, honey. You understand the rules, right? Run at top speed, no holding back, to the old fallen maple tree by the river. No pushing, tripping, jumping on or over the other person... or Wolf, no riding on the other one, and no knocking the other over. First one there wins bragging rights for all eternity. Or until you turn seven and we do this again," I laughed.

Nessie was getting stronger and faster every single year. If I was ever going to win a race with her, I think it had to be now. She had gotten faster and faster over the years and could now outrun me while I was still human, but I was pretty sure I could still take her as a Wolf. "Got it?"

"I think I can remember that, Jake," she snickered back to me. Today was the first time Nessie and I were going to race while I was in my Wolf form.

"Okay, then on your mark... Get set…"

"Go," Nessie yelled, as she took off ahead of me.

"Hey you little cheat," I called after her right before I quickly phased.

As she ran, I faintly heard her chuckle and yell back, "you never said anything about me not getting a head start in any of your rules."

The tree we were running to was deep in the middle of the White Mountain National Forest. It took me nearly thirty-five minutes to get there, though she had gotten her head start. After phasing back and tagging the tree I could tell that I still managed to beat her here by a good two minutes, I think. My reputation and pride were intact for now, however slimly.

Not that I really minded. If Nessie could run fast, it meant she could escape an enemy, if ever needed. Which meant she was better protected. I just hoped it never came to that.

As much as I didn't like him, maybe it would be a good thing if Nahuel and I spent some time together to figure out how closely he, and Nessie by proxy, resembled a full Vampire, physically at least. Was he as strong and fast as them? I didn't know and had never bothered to find out. But if it was a matter of Nessie's safety, I probably should. I know she did have some limitations. She obvious needed to breathe and sleep, so she couldn't run forever; she'd eventually get tired. And whenever we had done any type of fight training she'd be sore the next morning and her muscles would ache; not for long though, she healed as quickly as I did. And I didn't mind giving her massages, actually I loved it, but it was a reminder of her human side… her weaker, human side.

That was one of the weird things about being a Wolf. I could run, and run, and run and my muscles would be fine. Sure my mind would get tired from a lack of sleep, but my muscles never tired or burned. I was an endless ball of energy.

On the other hand, mentally Nessie was far superior. Her mind never shut off or stopped working, even while she slept. She was always learning and remembered everything.

That was why we cut back on fight training last year. We played around, just for fun every now and then, but there was nothing left to teach her, and it's not like she would forget anything that she'd learn. But maybe we should start taking it more seriously once again if she was still getting stronger. Perhaps she could learn to fight now, not just escape from a Vampire and run away. Should we move from evasion to attack, I wondered?

"Hi, slowpoke," I jeered over to Nessie as I saw her finally arrive. She was panting, completely out of breath. I hadn't even run that fast. I know I was faster as a Wolf, then on two legs, but I never really stopped to consider how much faster.

"Hey... Jake," she wheezed.

"Are you okay?" I chuckled.

"Me?" she questioned, while still gasping for breath, "never better. I almost... had you there... I bet by… this time next year... you'll be trailing... my dust... the whole way."

"Really, 'cause to me, it looks like you're about to keel over, honey." I was trying not to laugh.

"Just give me a minute... Jake... to catch... my breath... you'll see... I'm fine."

We rarely ever competed over things, but I could see how badly this was getting to her. Probably because of how utterly I had beaten her.

"Sure, sure. So you're ready to hunt then?" I asked after exactly one minute. I knew she needed at least a few more to rest and get her breathing under control, but she was just being so stubborn, like she could be sometimes. I thought I'd tease her a bit, and give her a hard time. There was no way she'd take me up on it.

"Ready when you are… I bet I'll get… the largest deer," she said, shocking me.

"You're on," I replied, as I held out my hand so we could shake on it. But as she lightly touched my fingers, she was off in a blur. Argh, she did it to me again!

I briefly thought about letting her win this time, but she was so cocky. Just that second the wind changed direction and I picked up the scent of a heard of a deer. It was like it was destined to be. Immediately phasing I took off running in their direction, pushing my legs as hard and fast as they would go. Even at high speeds I was eerily, deadly silent, especially for something my size. The deer didn't even know I was there. Quickly but quietly, creeping closer, as to not spook it away, I spotted a young buck on the edge and pounced. He tried to run but I got him.

Eight minutes later, not only had I successfully taken him down, but eaten a good chunk from him as well. I wasn't really hungry but didn't want to waste the animal. Not wanting to seem too cocky but I think this was my fastest time yet. Nessie had run the other way and wasn't in sight, but I knew I had won. The rest of the herd had taken off somewhere, I'm not sure exactly where to, but I think it was in her general direction.

A few minutes later, I got my answer. The herd came running back, almost directly towards me, but veering off to the side slightly. They'd been scared off by something... Nessie, I'm assuming, and a minute later saw that I was right.

Off in the distance I could see her chomp down on a large buck of her own. As I jogged over to her to gloat, she proudly proclaimed herself the winner.

"What are you talking about Nessie? I clearly won, bringing down a deer at least ten minutes before you."

"Jake," she looked at me like I had two heads, "the contest wasn't about who could do it the fastest. Don't you remember, I said – 'who could bring down the _biggest_ deer'?"

Thinking back on it I realized she was right, her deer was clearly bigger than mine. I screwed up and I only had myself to blame. Do'h.

At least she thought it was funny, but did she have to laugh quite so loudly?

I guess it was a little funny, and I began laughing myself.


	33. Negative after Negative

**The Blue Moon**

* * *

**Year Six, Chapter Thirty-Three**

**Negative after Negative**

* * *

Renesmee's Point of View

* * *

Come on... Come on...

Five minutes was an eternity to wait! Couldn't someone invent a ten second pregnancy test?

Refusing to spend another minute waiting in vain for the stupid thing to give me another negative result, I ran out of the bathroom, to distract myself, until it was time.

Jake had run to the store and my father was in class. The house was empty except for me and my mother. I found her in the library upstairs, but she was on the phone. Who could she be talking to? Everyone else in the family was out hunting or in class.

Not wanting to interrupt her I just hovered by the door until she was done.

"No, that's not what I'm saying," my mother said to whomever she was talking to. "Of course we would love to come visit you, but we just can't right now." She must have been talking to Nana Renée telling her the prearranged excuse as to why she and my father would not be visiting like they previously agreed.

_Why not sweetie? I thought everything was all set? _I heard my Nana say through the phone. I'd never met her, but listened in on the occasional phone call.

"It was, but this is a once in a lifetime opportunity for me. Internships like this don't come along every day. I was lucky to have been chosen to work with such an esteemed team," my mother smoothly lied.

_An internship? But I thought you were majoring in art?_

"Close. I'm an art _history_ major, mom. And this trip will give me the opportunity to study some major works of Renaissance Art up close. I'd never be able to see them any other way."

_Can't you just go to a museum if you want to look at a bunch of old paintings? We have museums in Florida too, you know. _

"These aren't paintings that are shown in museums, mom. They're too delicate for public viewing. I'll be watching an entire restoration process. And if I'm lucky they might even let me help."

_Oh, okay. _Even though I was just listening to her on the phone I could still here the confusion in my grandmother's voice._ So how long is this renovation going to take? _

"_Restorations_," she stressed the correct term, "are a fairly long and delicate process. One painting could take three years or longer, depending on size and condition."

_Three Years! You don't intend to stay that long do you?_

"I was hoping to. Like I said, it is a once in a lifetime opportunity."

_But what about school? And your husband? _she whined_. Won't Edward miss you, being gone so long?_

"He's coming with me," my mother explained. "There's a college there that we're transferring to. Mom this is really a wonderful opportunity, and I'm very excited about it. Can you try to be happy for me? It's not... forever. I'll see you when I get back."

_Oh, well maybe I can come visit you there. _She sounded so hopeful.

"I don't think that's such a good idea. I'll be in class or at the museum all the time. Probably the only free time I'll get is to go home and sleep." The thought of my mother sleeping seemed so weird to me.

_Have fun, then. I miss you and love you sweetie. _

"I love you too mom."

_Bye, sweetie. _

"Goodbye, mom," my mother said then turned off her phone and walked over to where I was standing, wrapping me in a tender hug.

"You didn't tell her what school it will be, or even what country you're pretending to go to," I pointed out.

"That's right," she responded sadly. I guess her goodbye was really her last goodbye to her mother. "I need your phone," she told me, holding out her hand.

"Um, sure. Why?" I asked, while handing it over.

"I'm updating my and your father's cell numbers. The current ones won't work after today. This way if Renée tries to call again she won't be able to get in contact with any of us. Charlie and almost everyone else who needs them already have our new numbers. Please let Jake know about the switch when you see him."

"Alright." She looked like she was fighting hard to not freeze stiff, a classic sign of Vampire stress. "Are you okay mom?"

"I'll be fine. I knew this was coming for awhile now." She froze for a few seconds, letting the weight of what she just did sink in, and then quickly snapped herself out of it. "So what's going on with you? Did you need something darling?"

"Err, well I just was waiting for something and needed a distraction." She was a Vampire and I knew how her brain worked. My mother was capable of thinking about multiple things at once. but I didn't want to bother her with my problems now. She had enough on her mind.

She could be upset about the loss of her relationship with her mother, read _Wuthering Heights_ for the millionth time, and compose an essay for school in her mind all at once, and probably a lot more, all while having a conversation with me.

"Oh," she said as the realization of exactly what I was waiting for hit her. "Well would you like me to check the results with you?"

"Yes, please," I said as I braced myself for the results. Maybe this time would be different.

A week after I almost bit Jake I got it into my head that it must have been because I was pregnant and was starting to have weird cravings. It was the best explanation I could come up with at the time. But the test had been negative. Yet my craving for his blood hadn't gone away. It could have been nothing more than a freak one time thing, but it wasn't, and I was too ashamed to mention it to anyone. I didn't think I needed anyone's help. I was capable of controlling my thirst for him. It wasn't exactly uncontrollable, but merely uncomfortable, and (mostly) only when Jake's wonderful scent was combined with actual food. I just needed to avoid kissing him while he was eating.

The test must have been wrong. That's what I told myself. Why would I want to drink from my Jacob if it wasn't? I HAD to be pregnant. I never would even thing of drinking from him if I hadn't been.

But that hope vanished when the test I took the next month came back negative as well. I had no idea why I suddenly wanted to drink from Jake but it didn't have anything to do with me being pregnant, because I wasn't.

Maybe this time…

Twenty-two seconds later I was sitting on my bed, pathetically crying into my mother's shoulder. "What is wrong with me, mom?"

"There's nothing wrong with you. These things take time. It doesn't happen right away for everyone. Sometimes it takes years."

"I don't have years. I'm almost six. What happens if I don't get pregnant within the next few months? I wasted so much time with Nahuel. I'm being punished for what I did, making Jake weight for me. Now we'll never have a baby and it's entirely my fault, because I couldn't be satisfied with how perfect Jacob was, I wanted more than I deserved. Now we're both paying for it."

"That's not true." Her cold arms felt so good as they wrapped around me. Normally I wasn't bothered by being hotter than my family, or humans. I liked never getting cold by a drop in the outside temperature, but those additional ten degrees felt like a hundred right now as I grew more and more agitated. My mother's arms were doing better than a wet towel on my forehead to calm me down. "You took the time you needed to find who you truly wanted to spend your forever with. There's nothing wrong with that. Jake understands that and he loves you. Just relax; you're not helping yourself getting all worked up like this."

"But it happened right away for you and dad right? Didn't you get pregnant with me on your wedding night?"

"Well yes," my mother looked a bit embarrassed to admit this, but I heard the stories, and had figured out the timeline. "But that's my point; I wasn't putting pressure on myself to get pregnant. You shouldn't either."

"That's hardly a fair comparison. You didn't think you could ever conceive with dad."

"True, but beside the point. Renesmee, honey, if you're really worried something may be wrong why don't you have Carlisle take a look at you, make sure you and Jake are compatible and nothing's wrong. If there is something, maybe he can fix it."

Grandpa Carlisle had been my doctor since I was born. It wasn't like I could go to a regular doctor, what with my half-Vampire side and all that it entailed. I guess some would feel weird having their grandfather also be their doctor, but it was just normal for me.

The following morning my Grandfather had freed up his schedule and met Jake and me in his office.

Jacob was just as worried as I was. It was now June and we had been trying to get pregnant for five months. I thought it must be my fault, while Jake, of course assumed it was his. I just hoped whoever it was, my grandfather could fix it. Did I just need some vitamins? Or maybe drink more blood? Or cut it out entirely? Should we be doing it in a different position? No that couldn't be it, there wasn't a position we hadn't tried, much to my and Jake's amusement.

Mmmm, happy memories.

"Renesmee?" My grandfather looked at me, perplexed. I must really be preoccupied. What had I missed? I never lost focus like that normally, what with my Vampire brain, since I could concentrate on many things at once, almost as much as a full Vampire.

"Huh? Sorry, what?"

"I was just telling you and Jacob that I'll need to draw some blood from both of you, if that's possible. I already have a small sample of Jacob's blood, but I would like to take a larger one to look for some specific things, as well as needing to get a few other samples from both of you, and do an internal exam on you, Renesmee. Is that alright?"

"That's fine with me. Jake?"

"Whatever you need, Doc," he responded.

"Alright then, shall we get started?"

After my grandfather was done running all of his tests on us, he concluded that there was nothing physically stopping us from getting pregnant; as far as he could tell, anyway. We just needed to keep trying. He suggested we get away. Take some time. Go on vacation and relax.

"But what about the bodies that keep turning up?" I asked him. "Do you think it is safe?" As many as two per week were now being delivered to the hospital.

My grandfather was getting worried that the humans would notice something was up. We were all worried in all honesty. And Jacob was getting more and more upset with the loss of life. Doing nothing went against his very nature. Unfortunately there was nothing to be done yet. We had no idea who was behind the body dumps or why.

Uncle Jasper was trying to follow the paperwork back to the source, but whoever was behind this had covered their tracks completely. Uncle Jasper, and everyone else, kept running into dead ends.

"All the more reason for you to not be around here," he assured me.

After I thought about it some more I realized a vacation sounded like a wonderful idea, and Jacob was in complete agreement with me. The school year had just wrapped up so we wouldn't miss any classes, and if we left soon we could be back before it started up again in September.

"So Nessie, where would you like to go? France? China? Egypt? The moon?" Jake chuckled.

"Um, La Push?" I asked. I wasn't sure how possible it would be and seeing Jacob's reaction I probably shouldn't have even mentioned it. His face fell and his once happy grin now looked so sad. I know we both wanted to go back but it was too big of a risk; me being a half-Vampire and all. Who knows if my Vampire half would trigger a new round of young Wolves to phase for the first time?

What was wrong with me? Why did I even suggest that? I should've been thinking. I know Jake missed his home and I really did want to go and see everybody, too. I miss them and my Grampy Charlie. And Jacob missed Billy and Rachel, and his Pack even more than me. Maybe... someday, it might be possible to go, or for them to come here, like Seth and Leah did. Not permanently, like them, but maybe an extended visit.

"Well if there are no objections, I'm sure Esme wouldn't mind lending you Isle Esme for a month or two." Carlisle offered.

Jacob and I just looked at each other and smiled. That it sounded like a wonderful idea.

Then my grandfather added, "And if I may suggest, on your way back you might want to stop off, on a bit of a detour, and visit the Amazon Coven. Zafrina, Kachiri, and Senna would love to see you again, Renesmee."

I haven't seen Zafrina in so long. Since I was a baby, almost. And I did promise to keep in touch. This seemed like the perfect time to visit. If Jacob was okay with it, that is.

"Senna was the one who smells like cotton candy?" Jake asked me, causing my grandfather to raise a single questioning eyebrow. To anyone else it would be nothing, but for him to have such a reaction would have been like a regular person jumping up and screaming. It was understandable. He didn't know about my confusion at the zoo. I used my gift to quickly explain.

"Almost. You're thinking of Zafrina. She can project illusions into multiple people's minds at a time without having to touch them. I wish I was as powerful as her."

"Nessie, you show people your thoughts and memories. That's real. What she makes others see is fake. Your gift is so much more special." I knew Jake was saying that to try and make me feel better, but he was wrong.

"I can show people things that aren't real, sort of. I just need to take something that actually happened to me and switch around some of the details." But again I would have to touch the person while doing it, and can only show one person at a time. Maybe while we were visiting she could help me develop my gift further, to be more like hers?

"Well if we're going all the way to Brazil I guess we should start making some travel plans. When did you want to go?" Jake asked me, seeing my renewed happy expression.

"Is next week too soon?" We would need to book plane tickets, arrange for the housekeepers to open the house and stock the fridge, and a few other things.

"I believe that's doable," my grandfather informed us. "Let me just make a few calls and I'll arrange everything for you. You'll only need to pack and show up at the airport at the appropriate time." Then he looked like he thought about something for a second. "Jacob, when you went fishing with your father, did you ever learn how to operate a boat? I don't think Renesmee has. Am I correct?" I just nodded. "Well Jacob, if you're not able to drive it I can arrange to have someone meet you at the dock and shuttle you back and forth, to the Island."

"What kind of boat?"

"Just a speed boat we use to take us back and forth, I believe it is a 2007 Doral Elite 235. It's fairly new. You may remember Edward replaced the one that seemed to disappear after his and Bella's honeymoon."

"A speed boat? I think I can handle that," Jake chuckled, but by the look on his face, I could tell he was excited to drive my grandfather's boat. It was probably really nice, much nicer than the one Billy had. I wonder if he would be upset if I got Billy an early Christmas present. But that would have to wait until we returned.

"Well if we're going to Isle Esme I need to go buy a few new things to wear," I said. There was so much to do if we were leaving in a week.

Jacob gave me the strangest look, like I suddenly grew horns or something. "Hasn't Alice already bought you all the clothes you'll ever need for a lifetime, three or four lifetimes, actually?"

"Yes, for cold rainy weather. But this is different; the weather is actually warm down there. And I'm going to need her help." It was partially the truth, but I didn't want to tell Jake why I was really going, wanting it to be a surprise. It would be nice to get some things that Jake had never seen before... some _nighttime things. _Lacey, Slinky, maybe even a little Sleazy. I normally never wore anything special to bed, just my cotton pajamas. But I wanted to find something Jake would really like. I wanted to look nice for him.

"Alice?" I called with a slightly raised voice. She was next door, at her house, so I wasn't sure if she would hear me or not, but two seconds later she appeared in the doorway.

"What is it sweetie?"

"Can you take me shopping?" I half asked, half cringed.

She broke into a smile and began pulling me towards the door while asking, "Do you want to go right now?"

Ha, I never would have called her if I wasn't planning on leaving right that very second, knowing Alice and her nature. "Sounds good," I chuckled as she practically shoved me into her Porsche.

The shopping trip turned out to be everything I had hoped, and partially dreaded, it would be. I thought we would just go to the mall and hit Victoria's Secret and a few other stores and be done with it, but Alice, being Alice, had other ideas. Especially when I told her what I needed to get. After the mall, which of course contained a Vickie's, we drove down to Boston and went to La Perla, and a couple other places I had never even heard of before, and then back to Nashua, NH to go to Frederick's of Hollywood. I was exhausted and fell asleep on the car ride home but it was worth it in the end. It took all day, but I got the most amazing things, including some summer ware and beach clothes for Jake and me.

I think Jacob is going to be very, very happy and hopefully some of my new bedtime wardrobe will even survive the trip. Jacob had a tendency of getting overly excited and ripping my clothing off. Apparently zippers and buttons took too long for him.

But then again I ruined more than one pair of his special "Alice shorts". That was a less than fun day, having to go to her and request some replacements. I assumed she knew what had happened to them, even if she couldn't _see_ us. She knew what we were doing at night now. The whole family did.

Emmett had been overjoyed at our new relationship status. For some reason he was forbidden to harass my mother about her sex life, but mine and Jake's seemed to be open season for him. Maybe when we get back I'll have to have a talk with my mother and see what exactly she said to him to get him to leave her alone. Not that he ever said anything to me, but I heard him giving Jake a hard time, every now and then.

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Thanks for reading, please review.

Five more chapters until the return of Joham (if he really ever left). ;)


	34. Don't Make Us Go Home

**The Blue Moon**

* * *

**Year Six, Chapter Thirty-Four**

**Don't Make Us Go Home**

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Jacob's Point of View

* * *

"Esme said to tell you to stay as long as you like." Bella told Nessie as we exited Edward's car. "And don't worry about being back in time for the school in September. Come back when you're ready."

After Edward and I grabbed the luggage out of the trunk the four of us began to walk towards the airport entrance. I'd fit all of my toiletries and the new clothes Nessie bought me into one bag, but she, for some reason, needed three suitcases, and her carry-on. What on earth could be in all of them? She knew we were going to a private, secluded, deserted island, right? I wonder if Alice _helped_ her pack. Probably since Nessie had asked her to take her shopping. And then there was the _extra_ bag from Rose. She'd practically thrown it at Nessie right as we got into the car to come to the airport.

"Here don't forget these!" Rose had gleefully exclaimed. Looking in the bag, Nessie and I saw it was full of pregnancy tests, which caused Nessie to blush and Edward to cringe. At least he didn't start growling. "Make sure you take a test every week, darling" she added.

I guess Bella's statement about us staying as long as we wanted wasn't exactly true. We would need to return home pretty much immediately if Nessie did become pregnant. That was the point of our trip after all. And nobody knew what Nessie's pregnancy would be like, so there was no way I was taking any chances. Rose was correct; she would need to use them weekly, while we were gone, just in case.

Nessie used to get her period for only a few hours every five days when she was younger, and grew faster. Over the years, as her aging slowed down, so did her periods. Now she got them every ten days, lasting for (almost) half a day. I don't know if that was better or worse than having it once a month for four or five days, like I had found out most women experienced. Either way they would be gone forever in about a year and a half, when Nessie stopped aging, as she turned seven. But it did make us unsure when, and for how long, Nessie was fertile. The Doc had given us his best guess, but with no way to be certain, suggested we "have relations," as he delicately tried to put it, as much as possible.

That sounded like a wonderful idea.

"Thanks Aunt Rose," Nessie had said, while still looking slightly embarrassed.

Just as I was about to get into the car behind Nessie, Emmett pulled me aside. Judging by his snickering I assumed whatever he was about to say was not as important as he was trying to make it seem.

"Hey Jake, I noticed you could use some help in the whole baby making process. I snuck a few things for you into the bottom of the bag. I wouldn't open it in front of Edward though," he added with a wink while playfully punching me in the arm.

He was lucky Nessie right there waiting to hug him goodbye, because if she wasn't I would have taken off his arm. He could reattach it after we left, and only needed one to hug Nessie. But while I was debating how upset Nessie would be at me, he had grabbed the bag and put it in the trunk of the car with the rest before disappearing back into the house with Rose.

"You know the Amazon coven don't have phones so there was no way to contact them to let them know you're coming," Bella told us, "but give Alice a call when you get to the mainland and she should be able to tell you approximately where they are. I know they'll be so happy to see you Renesmee." Trying (and failing) to be discrete, she then leaned in and whispered into Nessie's ear, "Please just try to relax, everything will work out. I know it."

Sure, just relax and pee on this stick every Thursday, no big deal. No pressure. Right? Wrong. Hopefully I would be able to fill Nessie's days (and nights) with enough _fun_ activities that she'd be able to relax, at least six out of every seven days.

"The new cleaning crew's scheduled to come every two weeks."

_New cleaning crew? _

"After seeing the previous crews' reaction to my taking a human Bella there I thought it best to replace them," Edward said a bit apologetically. Made sense. We all knew the story of what happened although he was smart enough to not mention the part of the cleaning lady being terrified of Edward and worried over Bella's imminent demise, at least that's what she thought at the time.

"Thanks, dad. I love you guys. We'll call as soon as we land," Nessie said giving them one last hug, before we went through security and waited for our flight to be called.

The trip south was long, but not as bad has flying back to Forks. It only took about half the time and we landed in Rio a little after seven in the morning. The place was packed being the third week of July, height of tourist's season, so we had to weave through a crowd to just get to baggage claim. Not good, I was already cranky after squeezing my overgrown frame into a tiny chair for hours. Even being in first class the seats were still too small for me. And now I was getting more and more agitated as hoards of people pushed passed us. We'd been standing around for half an hour waiting for our bags to show up. If one more guy _accidentally_ bumped into Nessie I was going to lose it.

"There they are," Nessie happily exclaimed, pointing at one of her bags as it came down the luggage carousal. She was either oblivious or choosing to ignore the men's inappropriateness.

No one had done anything overt; she didn't seem upset so if she wasn't going to make a big deal about it, neither would I. We were on vacation to relax and have a good time after all.

"Hey, what do you think about staying in Rio for a week or two?" I asked Nessie. "We could rent a hotel room around here, and enjoy some of the festivities that are going on." It looked like there was a giant party happening in the streets. It could be fun… as long as everyone kept their hands to themselves.

"That sounds like a wonderful idea, Jake."

We ended up finding a nice hotel right in the heart of Rio de Janeiro. I didn't really enjoy living out of a suitcase, so once we got up to our room I went to unpack my bags, and Nessie probably wanted to hang whatever clothes she brought. She was being secretive about two of her bags for some reason, but I didn't want to push. And I was more than a little curious about what Emmett had hidden under the pregnancy tests. Once all of my clothes were put away and Nessie hung most of hers from only one, not even touching the other two, I dumped the contents of Rose's bag onto the bed.

Now I knew why Emmett didn't want Eddie seeing what he packed for me. There was a bottle of Viagra, a pump - with a note, explaining that I should use it if the pills didn't work, and a couple of books. One was a copy of the _Kama Sutra_, and the other was one of those yellow and black Dummy books. This one was titled _Procreation for Dummies_.

"When we get back to New Hampshire I'm going to kill your Uncle" I half joked to Nessie.

"I'll help," she said while twirling around and looking a bit confused at the pump. Not wanted to explain, I just grabbed it from her, broke it in half and threw it in the trash, along with all of Emmett's other _helpful_ gifts. After a second of thought I retrieved the _Kama Sutra_, and placed it on the nightstand. That might be to try out, actually.

We thought it would be fun to hit at least one club, or bar, or music/dance place each night. We were on vacation after all. The drinking age here was only eighteen and we both looked like we were in our twenties, which our IDs confirmed, not that anyone checked.

On the first night we both tried our very first alcoholic beverages. They didn't seem to do anything to either of us but they tasted really nice, especially the fruity one that Nessie ordered. I had a sip of it, just to see what it tasted like. While she normally didn't like most human food, she did like fruit so it shouldn't have surprised me. Still I think she really just wanted the colorful umbrella that it came with, which she immediately took and placed in her hair. After she quickly downed the entire drink, she surprised me again my dragging me up, onto the dance floor. That was another first for us, if you didn't count us dancing at Sam and Emily's wedding, which I did not. Wow, she was sexy when she danced!

When we got back to our hotel room I found out what was in the two bags Nessie had kept hidden from me. Well, I got to see one thing anyway. It was light blue, lacy, and more see-thru than not. If she had two entire bags full of outfits like this then I was about to become the luckiest guy in the world. No, that's not true. I already was the luckiest guy in the world, this just brought things to a whole new level. Nessie was naturally, completely beautiful, but seeing her in the nightie she wore to bed was just beyond amazing.

The next eleven days AND nights were wonderful repeats of our first one in Rio. Most nights we went to the Lapa Neighborhood where a majority of the samba and choro bars were. Each night the music and dancing spilled out onto the street, turning the entire area into a giant party.

Since we ventured out to the bars and clubs late at night, we ended up sleeping in, until about 11am. Once we woke up we made love, called room service, ate, and then made love again before finally leaving the hotel room for the day.

While Emmett's book was put to good use, we didn't just drink and have sex the entire time we were here. Nessie and I spent our days exploring some of the attractions offered in Rio.

We swam in the Lagoa Lagoon and surfed off of Arpoador beach. And, of course, we had to catch at least one soccer, well _football_, game at Maracana Stadium.

After one particularly long but fun night we were both a little worn out, so the next day we took an easy walk through the Jardim Botanical Garden. They had some beautiful flowers and trees there.

We climbed Sugarloaf Mountain, the back side, facing the ocean, as to not be seen. I don't think many people actually climbed it. Most took the cable cars to the top, but we weren't most people. _We_ were a Werewolf and half-Vampire.

We ran, at a slow boring human speed, through Tijuca National Park and ended up turning our run into a game. Since there were so many humans around we couldn't go fast so we did the opposite, seeing who could run the slowest, while still technically _running_. It was hilarious at first but that, too, got boring after a while, until we started making stupid faces at each other, while doing our slo-mo running.

I was going to suggest to Nessie that she might want to stop and hunt while we were in there, but it was currently daytime and there were just too many other tourists walking around.

"Do you want to come back here tonight to hunt?" It had been over a week, at that point, since she had last fed, back in New Hampshire. Yet another pregnancy test had come back negative and she could use something to make her feel better. Hunting was one of her favorite activities so I thought she'd jump at the chance.

"No thanks. I want to try and live off of human food this trip." That surprised me but she she assured me she wasn't having any problem with her thirst. Nessie never mentioned what her reasons were, but I didn't see the harm. Nahuel had been able to make the change, without any ill side effects, after all.

At night, once it started to get dark, we would pick a local restaurant for dinner, trying to hit a different one each night. The food around here was amazing; nice and spicy, just the way I liked it. Even Nessie seemed to enjoy it, or at least she didn't make a disgusted face as she ate.

After dinner we would go to some of the bars or clubs before returning to the hotel, making love one or two more times, and then finally fall asleep, before waking up the next morning/afternoon and started all over again.

Tonight we decided to go to this nice restaurant on the corner by our hotel, partially because it was conveniently located near the club across the street, where we had planned on seeing a Samba Band play.

Since we arrived in Rio I had been pretty much living in tee shirts and jeans, just like at home, but we got dressed up tonight. It was warm here, so I went with a light blue button down shirt and rolled up the sleeves, paired with some beige dress slacks. As nice as I thought I looked I paled in comparison to my angel. Nessie was in this crimson red, incredibly sexy, slip dress that hugged her curves in the nicest way. For the millionth time I wondered how I got so lucky that this beautiful goddess fell in love with me.

The food at the restaurant was great, but our waiter, Antônio, kept ogling Nessie all night long. He was really getting on my nerves. Nessie noticed his leering, and my reaction, of course, but she, thank goodness, laid her hand on my arm and sent me some calming thoughts and feelings, just in the nick of time, so I didn't rip his head off, right then and there. She could _usually,_ always, get me to relax; which I kept trying to do with her help, but then, Antônio would brush up against her when he walked by the table. Every. Single. Time. And I got all worked up, all over again.

"Jake, do you want to just go?" We had just finished our entrée and were waiting for the dessert we ordered earlier.

"Yeah, I don't think I can tolerate that sleazeball anymore."

After I paid the bill, telling Antônio we were going to take our dessert to go, we were still waiting twenty minutes later, when he finally made another appearance… minus our food. He did have a bowl in his hand, probably supposed to be delivering it to some nearby table, but instead was too preoccupied, looking down Nessie's dress.

"Is there something I can help you with?" I snarled. A plan had been forming in my head; the more this jerk leered the more it solidified, to lure him outside to the back alley and rip his head off.

He was too preoccupied with his leering that he didn't answer me, but when a sleazy smile broke out on his face I lost it and growled, loudly enough that it startled him and he ended up dropping the bowl of soup right where his eyes had spent much of the night, down the front of Nessie's dress.

That was it; I had had it, and was pissed! I knew I couldn't make a scene and was working hard to just not phase right in the middle of the restaurant.

A scene – HA!

I really wanted to bite the guy's head off. But he was only human and I couldn't. Well, technically I could, but I shouldn't. Nessie, who wasn't hurt in the slightest by the scaldingly hot soup, managed to drag me outside before I phased. Once I was away from that sleazeball, I was able to take a few deep breaths and calm down enough that we could walk back to the hotel.

Okay, I might have gone down the alley and punched a brick wall or two, first. Getting some of the aggression out made me feel much better.

"How are you doing, Jake? Are you... Should we run to the nearest woods so you can phase?"

"No." I took a deep breath just to test myself, as we approached the hotel. "I'm fine now, just let's never be anywhere near that _waiter_ again," I said with an emotionless chuckle. Of course I had seen other men looking at Nessie before, most of the time I could just deal with it, however this one, there was just something about _him_ that pushed me over the edge. And then of course there was the spilled soup. But I didn't want this ruining the night, much less our trip.

Tonight was the last night that the Samba Band, would be playing and Nessie really wanted to see them. I didn't want this incident to ruin things for her.

After seeing some flyers earlier in the week, we had asked about buying tickets, but the club, well it wasn't exactly a club, it was a nightclub of sorts, and they didn't sell tickets. You just paid a cover charge when entering. Inside there was a bar, and small tables for couples to sit at, but the main thing was to watch whatever band was playing.

"Crap, there's already a line," I said looking across the street. If we didn't get a table early, we'd be out of luck.

The club manager had mentioned that there was a fire there a few years ago and now they were very strict on the occupancy limits since there were a few injuries back then, which they didn't want repeated. I'm sure there was probably more than just a few injuries, for them to be taking things so seriously, but I didn't want to push the matter.

Nessie looked over seeing the line as I did. "Why don't you go get in line now so we'll get in, while I run up to our room and take a quick shower? I'll come back down and meet you in a few minutes."

"Or I can come up and jump in the shower with you." I said, hinting at something more. I didn't really _need_ to see the band.

But she touched my arm and used her gift to share her feelings with me. _Jake, I love you, but I'm kind of pissed off and a little grossed out, myself. And I really just want to be alone for a few minutes. _Damn. I was so angry at the waiter, and focused on calming myself down, that I hadn't even been in my right mind to consider how upset she must be. _I hope you don't mind, _she added, which of course I didn't.

"All right darling, I'll see you soon." If she needed a few minutes without me I could give that to her. I would give her anything, I loved her so much.

"Great! If you get in before I'm back, see if you can leave my name at the door and order me a Lemon Drop. I'll meet you at the bar."

After kissing her lightly, and watching her through the glass door head up to the elevator, I jogged over to wait in line, which moved quickly once they opened the front door. After spending less than a minute in line where, thankfully the doorman/bouncer took down Nessie's name so she could join me later, I went to the bar, and saved her a seat, then ordered her drink and something for myself. I really wasn't impressed with any of the beers I'd tried already but was determined to find something that I liked. And maybe if I drank enough of them I would no longer want to go back to the restaurant and kill that waiter.

I asked the bartender to bring me one of all of the different varieties of beer, so I could try them. He didn't seem too willing, but then I slapped a few hundred dollar bills on the counter and he readily obliged.

After fourteen different beers I still hadn't found anything I liked. They all still tasted like gross bitter medicine, but fortunately I was a Wolf, with a ridiculously fast metabolism. I had seen in other Wolves mind's, back in La Push, that a few of the guys tried to get drunk, now and then, but it took massive amounts of alcohol and even then they only ended up buzzed. Since I wasn't drunk, or even buzzed, I decided to keep experimenting. I was out of cash but handed the bartender my credit card and asked him to switch over to harder liquor.

I started off with whiskey, one shot of each of the different varieties the bar had to offer. After the third one I could tell this was definitely not the drink for me, but there were six others sitting on the counter that I already paid for, so I figured I may as well drink them. They didn't feel like they were affecting me at all, anymore than the beer.

After downing them quickly so I wouldn't have to taste them as much, I switched to Gin. Nope, I didn't like any of those either.

Vodka? Strike three.

"Your funeral," I heard the bartender mumble to himself when I asked to keep going and switched to Tequila. He started filling shot glasses while laughing to himself.

Whatever.

I think halfway through the Tequila shots, which were at least tolerable, the alcohol finally started to hit me, but just a little, so I decided to keep testing. I was sure my metabolism would burn everything off soon anyway.

Once I moved on to Rum I could tell I finally found a drink I could not only bear, but I thought it actually tasted pretty good, especially the spiced ones. The bartender had only given me a small variety of the ones they had. I guess Rum was really popular around here. There was at least twenty other varieties behind the bar and I thought it would be best to try them all. What the hell.

Halfway through the rest of the Rums I realized how much they were actually starting to hit me. It felt like the room was spinning so I put my head on the bar and when I tilted it to the side I looked over and saw Nessie's Lemon Drop still sitting there.

Where was she? This place was air conditioned but all of the ice in the glass had melted. How long has she been gone? Where was she? Had something happened to her? I suddenly started to panic and at the same time the room was getting a little more spinny.

I needed to find Nessie!

I was gonna leap off the bar stool and go save her, but something went wrong and I fell on the floor, flat on my face. What the hell?

Ha, ha. Ha. Falling's incredibly funny. And I couldn't stop laughing, not until I remembered my objective – to find my angel.

I needed to get up.

First try I stumbled back down; second try… same thing. Third try I got up… I think.

Nope, I'm still on the floor.

Wait. Where were my feet? I couldn't see them or even feel them. Did they disappear? Maybe this was some new type of Quileute magic going on here. Was I disappearing? Maybe I shifted mid-phase. Not that I even... whatever. What was happening to me?

The room kept spinning, but after some searching, which took longer than expected, I managed to find my left foot. Ha! It was hiding under my other leg.

Awesome! It hadn't disappeared. Stupid hiding leg!

"Ha, ha, ha."

Soon after I found my other foot I finally managed to stand up.

Yikes! I needed to grab onto the bar. The floor here was really wobbly. Why hadn't I noticed that before?

Nobody else seemed to be having problems with the shaky floor. But a lot of them were staring at me; I guess they didn't get a lot of 6'7" Wolves around here.

Wait. What was I doing?

Oh right, I needed to find Nessie. My Nessie.

Ha! I named the love of my life after the Loch Ness Monster. My Loch Ness Sea Monster. Ha, ha, ha. My Nessie Monster. My Ness Sea Monster. My Sea Monster. Nessie the Sea Monster.

Did the real Loch Ness Monster live in the sea? Is a Loch a Sea? I think Loch's were smaller, more like lakes. Ness the Lake Monster. Neslac? Naw, that didn't make sense.

CONCENTRATE!

Forget the name. Nessie was short for Renesmee and she wasn't an imaginary monster. Sort of. Vampires were monsters, but she was my angel. My Nessie Angel.

That's right, she was an angel and what was I worried about? More than likely she was fine.

If it was Bella she probably would've run into the only evil Vampire, or Witch, or Zombie on the entire continent, while trying to cross the street from the hotel to this club, and gotten herself killed. But it wasn't Bella; it was my Loch Ness Angel.

Suddenly things started making sense. Bella hadn't encountered any monsters in her life until she met me. Maybe Bells wasn't the one attracting the monsters. Maybe I was. I was a Werewolf after all. I was a monster. Maybe Nessie really was in trouble, she was probably in danger right now, because she was with me.

Oh crap! I needed to go find her. What if the Zombies already had her? As soon as the room stops spinning I would go.

"Jake?"

"My Ness smonster... Angel, my Loch Ness sangel. Is zat you?" Everything was still spinning but I was pretty sure I heard my angel's voice.

"Jake, I'm so glad I found you."

"I's was so worr'ed. How'd you 'scape from the Zwombies?"

"Huh? Jake what are you talking about? Are you okay?"

"I'm kay, I thaank, but da rooms pinning and za floors weally robbly overs here." Ha, ha, ha. For some reason I found that incredibly funny, again. "Be carefuls. So glad youzzafe," I said wrapping her in a hug.

"Are you drunk?"

"Naw." I'm a Wolf. Wolves don't get dunk.

"Come on Jake, let's go back to our room," she said while disentangling herself from my hold and grabbing my arm.

We made it into the street and I was sooooo happy to be away from that shaky floor.

NO! The street was having the same problem. It tripped us a couple times too, before we got into the hotel lobby.

I started heading to the elevator but then Nessie pulled me the other way. We were headed to the stairs. Were the zombies that way?

"Jake, didn't you get any of my texts? I left you about eighteen of them." She sounded mad. "I wasn't sure they would go through or not. The elevator broke while I was coming down to meet you. I was stuck in that thing for over an hour. Didn't you notice?" Really mad.

"Stexts?"

"On your cell phone... in your pocket? Where did you think I've been all this time?" Nessie huffed.

Was she annoyed with something? Me? It looked like it, but why? I was the one worried about her being eaten by Zombies and my rescue attempts were being foiled by the dumb jumpy, bumpy floors.

"Come on Jake!" She grabbed my arm and pulled me over to the stairs. Once we were in the stairwell she turned to me. "Alright, now that we're away from people, let me pick you up so I can carry you up to our room."

"Nu un. Don't needs... carrieds," I protested, shoving her hand away. "Why do'u needz to carry sme ups za stairs?"

"Jake it's twelve flights and you can barely make it across the street!" I was gonna disagree but there was a gust of wind and then my head started spinning. By the time it stopped, we were standing outside of our hotel room door. How'd that happen?

After we walked through the door, Nessie let go of my arm.

What was going on? I was on the floor again. What was wrong with my legs tonight? Normally I could run through jagged forests with no problem. An uneven floor should be no different, even if it did keep moving.

"Hey Nessies," I said as she helped me off the floor and over to the bed. "We's sh'd call man'ger en complain."

"About the elevator? Believe me, I already did. They are well aware of the situation."

"Snot da l'vator, da shaky floorz. Zere as bad as ones in za club. Wonda if zere owned by da zame peeples?"

"Um, yeah Jake. That's a great idea." Did Nessie roll her eyes?

"Hey, youz up for zome funs?" I happily asked as she began taking off my clothes.

"Not right this second Jake. Exactly how much did you drink?"

"Don't members." I started naming all the different liquors I could remember drinking, giving my opinions on each one as I went.

"Oh, hey! We needz ta call families, ta deal withs da Zwombies," I reminded her when I finished my list.

"And what zombies were those Jake?" Why was she looking at me like she didn't believe me? Maybe she was in shock.

"Ones that zwere after yous, sillies."

"Oh, right. Those ones. Well... maybe we should wait until morning," she suggested.

"Nessies, you're rights. So zmarts" I was in no mood to go fight Zombies now. And I was starting ta feel a little strange. "We zwait 'til morrow to calls rents, rights now I haz to -" I sprang from the bed and made it halfway to the bathroom before I fell. Did I just vomit all over the floor?

Yup, I did.

Yuck!

* * *

OW! Massive headache.

What the hell happened last night? I was in bed, but felt like I'd been hit by a Mack Truck or multiple Mack Trucks. Nothing[ was broken, it was just my head, but it was pounding. Thinking back I remembered everything about yesterday until I went to the club. How did I even get back here?

I was in the hotel room bed, in only my _Alice Boxers_ as usual. Where was Nessie?

Looking around I spotted her in the bathroom. It looked like she was cleaning up something… I think.

"Jake, you're awake, finally," she said a minute later as she walked over to me.

"Hi sweetheart. I don't remember much about last night. Do you know what happened? Did we get attacked? Are you okay?" I was starting to panic.

"You seriously don't remember?" Was she upset? At me? "You went to the bar at the Samba Club and got massively, massively drunk. I had to carry you back up to the room, where you threw up... All. Night. Long. All over the place. I'm still cleaning up vomit," she said, while throwing down an offensive smelling hand towel.

"Nessie, I... I'm SO sorry." How could I have done that?

"How are you feeling?" she asked, handing me a bottle of aspirin she just retrieved from her bag. She must have gone out and gotten it at some point during the night, in between vomit duty. I was really going to have to make this up to her.

While I swallowed almost a third of the pills in the bottle, not being sure how many I would actually need, Nessie gave me a recap of the night's events, as much as she knew anyway, based on what I had apparently told her and what she saw. As she did it triggered my own memory and I started to remember everything.

At least she didn't look too mad. She kinda looked more worried than mad, right now. I had a feeling the anger was, rightfully, going to come later, once my headache was gone.

"Jake?" she called, grabbing my phone.

"Um, yeah honey?"

"Do you happen to remember what you did with your credit card last night?" she asked,

"Um, no. I must have left it at the bar. Did they call to return it?" I guessed that might be why she was holding her now ringing phone. But for some reason she neither answered it nor handed it to me. What was going on?

"No, but you seem to have charged a lot of drinks to it, and... well you know how Uncle Jasper and Aunt Alice keep an eye on all of the families accounts to look out for anything -?"

"Oh, no."

"Yeah, well... Uncle Jasper called last night. He saw the charges and got worried that either something happened to us or someone stole your card. I explained that we were fine but my father heard, um, everything... and wants to talk to you. He's been calling every half hour waiting for you to wake up," she said sadly, handing me the phone.

Damn-it! I wasn't in the mood to deal with his overprotective, stick up his butt, attitude right now. I was an adult after all. I know I screwed up. I didn't need him giving me a hard time about it.

But he was Nessie's father, so I guess I needed to play nice. I decided it would be best if I sucked it up and apologized. At least it would be easier over the phone. And I didn't want him trying something stupid like insisting we return home, not that I would listen if he did.

"Hello, Edward." Err, maybe this would go better if I cut some of the bile out of my voice.

_Jacob Black, you're finally awake. It is about time. _Great, sounded like he was in as good of a mood as I was. Time to play nice.

"I'm sorry…" I began with as much apology in my voice as I could muster.

_Ever since you Imprinted on Renesmee you have never given me any reason to doubt your intentions or worry about your ability to protect my daughter... until now. _

Seriously? I mean I know I'd never done anything to make him doubt me before, but he never acknowledged it before this. Of course I got accused, regularly, of doing things that only happened in his imagination. And now he was yelling at me for something that I did actually do. I cannot win with him.

_I'm going to ask you a series of questions and I expect honest answers from you. Do you understand?_

"Yeah. But Edward, first I just wanted to apologize. I completely understand that I let you dow...

_Did my daughter witness your evening of debauchery? _he curtly asked, once again cutting off my attempt to apologize mid sentence.

"No," I was going to protest that it wasn't exactly debauchery, but thought otherwise about arguing with Edward right now.

_Good. __Was Renesmee in any danger, or possible danger, while this was all taking place? _

I thought about it for a moment. She was technically safe while stuck in the elevator. Even if it fell it wouldn't have hurt her. "No, she was safe." That was sort of truthful. I guess he would decide for himself when we eventually went home.

_Good. How are you feeling? _

Wow, was he actually concerned about me? That was nice and very understanding of him, yet still a little weird. "Like my head's about to explode," that was completely true. I don't think the aspirin was working at all.

_Good, _he dryly responded again. Yeah, that was more like the Edward I knew. _Do you ever plan on doing something as __stupid__ as that again? _

"No... Sir," I threw in for good measure. I don't think I plan on ever even attempting to drink anything stronger than coffee, in the future.

_Good, _he responded again. This time his voice betrayed a hint of amusement in it. I hoped he liked me calling him that because I would NOT be doing it again. _I think it's about time to leave Rio. Don't you agree, Jacob! _It was more a statement, than a question.

Crap! I knew he was going to try to make us go home.

No… I … please don't," Damn-it! I was begging… incoherently. "Nessie didn't… It was my error… she's never even… and she isn't…"

"JACOB! Get a hold of yourself," he yelled into the phone. _"I was only saying it was about time to __head over to Isle Esme."_

Oh. "Okay, we'll leave tomorrow," I'd feel well enough to travel by then.

_You'll leave right now, _he corrected me

Now? Argh, fine. I'm sure I could steer the boat even with a headache. If I threw up again the water was right there. "Sure, sure. Um... thanks and again I'm really sorry." While I got the words out this time I think I heard the phone click before I finished.

I was sure some sort of reprimand would be waiting for me when we did finally return home. But I didn't care. The only one I really needed to make things right with was Nessie.

* * *

Okay... what did you think about drunk Jake? Was it funny or annoying? Could you understand his slurred speech or should i go back and simplify it?

Up next all the fun and problems with Isle Esme, because i never seem to let these two be happy for too long.

Thanks for reading. Please review.


	35. Trouble on Isle Esme

**The Blue Moon**

* * *

**Year Six, Chapter Thirty-Five**

**Trouble on Isle Esme**

* * *

Jacob's Point of View

* * *

Nessie and I had been on Isle Esme for a little over a month. After groveling and apologizing over the past five weeks I think I'd made up for my awful night of drunken decadence.

Any desire I could, I resolved to fulfill for her, but she said she didn't want anything, so I decided to worship her body instead. And not just sex, but we did have a lot of that. We made love every night, every morning, and multiple times during the day. I threw myself into truly adoring and venerating every inch of her, the way she deserved to be. She was a goddess after all. My goddess. My angel. My Nessie.

Still, with everything I did, I wanted to do more for her. I gave her back rubs, foot rubs, and leg rubs. I washed her hair. And every night before bed and every morning when she woke I brushed it till it shined. I gave her full body massages daily, and practically waited on her hand and foot. I would have chewed her food for her if she asked me to. She constantly told me that there was no need for any of it, but there was. I had screwed up and I needed to make it up to her. If not for her, but for my own peace of mind.

As the weeks went on I slowly started to back away from the (over) indulgences. But only because Nessie wanted me to. I would have kept it up forever if she'd asked.

Now we were back to normal, mostly. I still tried to fill each day with three or four special things and she, in turn, reciprocated. I don't think it was anything we consciously did, we both just wanted to make the other happy. And we were. Happy and in love. Though still not pregnant... yet, but we were trying - more than ever.

"Jake, your phones ringing," Nessie said to me while I was giving her a back rub. I'd heard it, just chose not to answer. "Jake, your phone," Nessie said again, when I made no move to get it. Whoever was calling could leave a message.

"Jake!" she said a third time, after as many rings. One more and it would go to voicemail, but before it could she dashed out of my arms and retrieved it, sliding the green icon to answer it and handing it to me, leaving me no choice but to talk to whomever was on the other end of the call.

"Hello?" Not seeing the screen myself I had no idea who it was.

_Jacob!_ the pixie's voice screeched across the phones speaker into my ear. _Am I too late?_

"What? What's wrong?" I instantly went into protective Alpha mode hearing the panic in her voice.

_Has it already started raining?_

"Raining?" That was what she called about? Instantly I calmed down, then grew annoyed. "There's not a cloud in the sky. What do you want?"

_Knock off the attitude. Sheesh, you'd think a month on Isle Esme with Nessie would mellow you out a little more._

"I was perfectly mellow," I replied, using her word back to her, "until you interrupted us."

_Ohhh_, she said. I could hear the implication of what she assumed we had been doing, and why I was so annoyed now. In truth she was only off by a few minutes… either way_. Sorry to interrupt, I just needed to call and warn you. There's a hurricane coming. It's not going to be super strong, the house will be fine, but it's going to rain for awhile._

She was calling to let us know it was going to rain? Did she forget I was from La Push? One of the rainiest places in the U.S.? "Yeah, thanks Alice. I think we'll be fine. Thanks for calling," I said just before hanging up on her. Unbelievable. She thought we would… what? Melt if we got too wet? Get upset from a little bad weather and come home? What?

"That doesn't seem too bad," Nessie said to me, as I put down the phone.

See, even she wasn't worried.

"Do you think Edward put her up to it? Making up a reason to go back early?"

"No, he wouldn't do that," she said. I wasn't so sure. Nessie called her parents once a week, letting them know how things were going. No explicit details, but they knew she wasn't pregnant… yet. She said it was just to let them know everything was fine. But I knew it was another condition Eddie imposed after my drunken screw up. Yet knowing how controlling he was with human Bella, I sorta felt like we were getting off easy. And Nessie liked talking to her parents, so I didn't object.

The Island was truly amazing. An actual tropical paradise. It looked exactly like Bella had described. Beautiful white sand beaches. Picturesque views. Gorgeous house tucked away in the trees. Warm, turquoise clear water, nothing like you'd see at First Beach. I'll definitely have to go swim in it a few more times while we're here. If the weather ever clears up, that is

The first month the weather was great, a tropical paradise, just like it was supposed to be, but the past week or so the rain just would not stop. Over the years, I'd heard stories from most of the family; none of them had ever mentioned such crappy weather when they came here.

Currently it was still raining outside. Okay, _raining_ was an understatement. It rained in La Push all the time. I was fine with rain. It wasn't a problem. In fact I was so used to it; I barely even noticed it anymore. But HERE, where I was told it never rained, we were currently in the middle of a hurricane that had been ongoing for over a week and didn't show any signs of ending.

Nessie and I had been stuck inside the entire time. If we weren't soulmates we probably would've been bored out of our minds. But we were made for each other. And loved everything about the other person. There was plenty to do to keep ourselves entertained. We played chess, watched movies, read books, told stories; we even played charades.

Right now Nessie and I were watching one of the movies the Doc and Esme had here, while snacking on a bowl of grapes.

That was becoming another issue. We were almost out of food and I was getting a little worried. I think when the Doc had told the housekeepers to stock the kitchen he had assumed only I would be eating, since Nessie normally preferred hunting for her meals. But that hadn't been the case this trip. We'd gone back to the mainland once a week to restock the fridge already, but the storm was staying for longer than I realized. I guess I should have paid more attention to Alice when she called last week.

I was currently sitting on the left side of the couch and Nessie was on the other side. It wasn't like I needed to be touching her every minute of every day. I know she needed space sometimes but she just looked so cute over there, popping grapes into her mouth. The way her lips puckered around each one, made me jealous of them, so much so that the next time she went to grab another bunch from the bowl, I grabbed her hand and pulled her over to me. She was just so cute I couldn't help but kiss her.

"Jake, I -" she began, breaking the kiss and jumping off of the couch.

"What is it honey?" I called as she ran into the bathroom with her hand over her mouth. Was she sick?

But she's never been sick a day in her life.

Was it possible that this trip had done what it had intended? Was she pregnant? Could she be having morning sickness? The past few days I noticed she hadn't been as cuddly as usual. I didn't think much of it at the time. But now…?

After waiting, rather impatiently for four minutes, and Nessie hadn't returned, I went looking for her.

She was still in the bathroom.

"Nessie? Honey? Is everything alright?" I asked after gently knocking on the door.

"Err, I'm fine. I'll… I just need a minute. Don't come in."

Don't come in? That was a first, and made the next two minutes seem like the most agonizing _hours_ of my life.

A couple minutes later she emerged. She didn't appear sick, but her expression was... I couldn't quite place it. "Are you okay?"

"Jake, um, I think – no." NO! "I _need_ to hunt - very soon." She looked guilty.

Clearly eating only human food this trip wasn't filling her up enough. As much as she had attempted to hide it, I know she didn't particularly like the taste of most of it. I wasn't sure why she was even trying to do it.

It had been over seven weeks since her last real Vampire meal; much, much longer than she had ever gone before. Looking at her now I could tell that she must be ravished. Up until this moment she hadn't complained once about the lack of blood in her diet. I guess this was perfectly understandable though, I just wished I'd noticed her struggle earlier. I guess I had been too preoccupied with other things. Now that I knew to look, I could tell she was actually very thirsty.

What were we going to do? Except for the occasional bird Isle Esme was void of any animals. And we'd been stuck, not only on the island, but inside the house, for days and it didn't look like the storm was going to let up anytime soon.

Alice!

Alice would know when the storm would subside enough that we could take the boat to the mainland. At least then I could give Nessie an end date to look forward to. Hopefully when I called she wouldn't be anywhere near Edward. I really didn't need him thinking I had screwed up again, even if it was true.

"I'm gonna text Alice." It might draw less attention back home. I quickly got out my phone and started typing. A few seconds later my phone beeped her reply. It seemed like luck was on our side.

"Nessie, honey. I just heard back from Alice. We'll be able to go to the mainland to hunt tomorrow." According to Alice the storm was going to start dying down soon and we should be able to leave sometime after 7am.

Now that I had my phone out I saw that I had put into the calendar a reminder that the housekeepers were scheduled to come tomorrow to clean the place and restock the fridge. Knowing them, the storm probably would not alter their plans. I didn't have their phone number to call them and cancel but after one very awkward phone conversation with Edward later I was dialing the housekeeper's number.

No answer.

I tried again.

Still, no answer.

Damn! The storm must have knocked out the phone lines.

Edward had said that Alice saw them still alive after we left. But she couldn't see if that meant they never came, either because I was able to call them off or the storm kept them away, or because I was able to get Nessie off the island without attacking them first.

If they were going to have any chance of surviving long enough to actually _clean_ the house Nessie needed to hunt before they arrived. It was still raining pretty hard, but the wind wasn't as strong as it had once been at the height of the storm. I was pretty good at maneuvering my father's boat back in La Push. Carlisle's speed boat was much more advanced. I didn't want to admit it, but his boat was a bit out of my league. I'd only been able to figure it out enough to get us to the island during the daytime, but it was sunny out and the water was calm then. As a Wolf I could see fine in the dark, but I wasn't very comfortable with the boats controls. This was going to be more than a little challenging if we do go tonight.

"Nessie what do you think about us leaving first thing tomorrow morning, before the cleaning crew gets here?"

"Jake I don't think I can wait that long." Damn, she was hiding behind her hair again.

I didn't try to move it behind her ear, I was too far away, but did take a couple steps closer to her. I knew she was too tense to touch her yet, but hopefully if I eased closer slowly she would relax and I would be able to wrap her in my arms soon. "I'm sorry honey; I should've been paying better attention, and realized you were this thirsty, sooner. Is the pain in your throat very bad?"

"Oh, Jake," she sighed, backing up as much as I had advanced, "I never should have waited this long. I let my thirst get completely out of control." She took another step back. One more and she would be back in the bathroom. "I thought it might have been the blood that was keeping me from getting pregnant. I was trying to see if going off it might help. But it didn't work," she said holding up another negative pregnancy test.

That's why she had refused to hunt? Practically starving herself in the process, just to try and get pregnant?

"Honey, why didn't you tell me?" Probably because she knew I would have objected. I risked taking another step toward her, but she backed up again. But she stepped back and to the side, backing into the wall instead of the bathroom.

"I'm sorry." Her eyes were looking anywhere by my eyes, even though I was desperately trying to catch them. "And now the pain is so bad, I don't think I can stand it much longer. I'm worried about what I might do, if we don't go soon." Her voice was so soft, hesitant, and painfully apologetic.

Why was she talking like that? I loved her. She must know I would do anything for her. If she was really that thirsty then I was more than willing to help her out.

"Here Nessie," I said, stepping forward again so I was now merely inches from her. I held up my wrist placing it front of her mouth. "Just take as much as you need until tomorrow morning. I don't want you to be in any pain. I've got more than enough."

She shook her head.

Oh, my blood must not be appealing to her. She used to bite me all the time when she was a baby, but she had never drunk from me. I wasn't technically human after all. I know she wasn't repulsed by my scent, like her family, but that didn't mean I would taste good to her either.

"Jacob, are you crazy?" Nessie had finally looked me in the eyes, but hers grew wide with shock. "I could never do that to you," she gasped, while pushing my hand away.

Why not? She needed it. So what if I didn't taste great, we could get her something more to her liking tomorrow.

"It's okay honey. It's not like you're venomous, and I heal fast; don't worry about it. Just try my blood, you might like it." Or at least not hate it as much as you think you will. I held out my arm again.

"No! That's never going to happen. If we can't take the boat until tomorrow I'll just deal with the burn. I can endure it until then, really. I'll just go sleep in the Blue Room, you sleep in the White one, that way I won't even be tempted."

Tempted? So she did want my blood. She must be even thirstier than I thought. "Don't be silly, Nessie, I can see that this is hurting you. I should've noticed and insisted we go before the storm struck. It's my fault that you waited too long to hunt, I should be the one to fix this."

"Have you even thought that once I start I might not able to stop?" She pushed not only my arm, but all of me, then dashed to the middle of the room and started pacing around in circles. "This is crazy, I'm not risking your life because I'm parched," Nessie said with a slight chuckle, but there is no amusement in her voice.

"Don't be ridiculous." Deciding to end this conversation and my Nessie's pain I ran to the kitchen, retrieving the first knife I saw and sliced across my wrist. Blood started oozing out pretty quickly, dripping down onto the tile floor, but it didn't matter because it had the exact reaction I was hoping for - Nessie lost control and jumped on my arm.

"Jacob!" she screamed, flinging herself clear across the room, once she realized what she… well, what _I_ made her do. But, just like I knew she would, she had been able to stop after just a few mouthfuls that she had ravenously swallowed. I knew she was still hungry but she only took enough just to quench her thirst. Enough to be able to make it until morning.

"See? I knew you could do it. I'm fine, you didn't hurt me. The wound's already healing."

"Jacob how could you let me do that?" she screamed with more anger than I had ever seen from her.

Crap! She was pissed and refused to even look at me again, hiding her head behind her hair, and curing herself into a ball on the floor.

I guess I hadn't thought this through. I just wanted her throat not to hurt, but I didn't think of what the emotional consequences might be for her.

"Nessie, it's okay really," I said as I walked over to her and placed my hands on her shoulders. She flinched, but I didn't remove my hands, this time.

"No, it's not. I drank from you. How could you... how could I -" she gasped. At least she was looking at me now. Sort of, but was also trying to wiggle out of my arms.

"You didn't hurt me, you never would hurt me." She barely took any blood after all.

"Are you sure you're okay?" She still didn't look convinced but at least stopped fighting to get away from me.

"Perfectly," I assured her, while pulling her into a hug. "Are you?"

"I... I don't know. You taste just as good as I thought you would." She looked so ashamed.

What? "You've thought about what I would taste like?" And you liked it?

"No. Well… not exactly. There have been a few times recently, when we were kissing, and you had just eaten one of the human foods I _actually_ find tasty," she nervously chuckled, "and the flavor was still in your mouth. Well the two combined - your aromatic scent mixed with the sweetness of the food, was what got me to start thinking of you like that. I'm sorry. I've tried not to. The other times I've been able to resist."

"Is it because you're so thirsty? Do you need some more blood, honey?"

"No Jake, I don't want to think of you like that. Like a meal. What if I lost control? I could never -"

"Okay, I get it. I'll never offer again." Unless you need it. "Just promise me that you won't try to go off blood again."

"Deal," she chuckled, and I joined her. "But why can't I be strong enough to do this? Nahuel did," she cried, suddenly growing serious again.

"Well, Nahuel is a hundred and fifty years older than you."

"All the more reason it should be easier for me. Not only had he drunk blood for so much longer, but he had the added challenge of giving up human blood. I was only trying to resist less appealing animal blood." I knew she could remember the taste of the human blood that was given to her as a baby. It was a struggle back then to get her to make the switch.

"But you're still growing," I countered. "If you really want to, why don't you try again in a couple of years. Maybe you'll be able to make the switch once you stop aging."

"By then my reason for attempting it will be gone," she said, referencing her, as yet, unfulfilled desire to get pregnant.

I thought she had drunk enough of my blood that her thirst wouldn't be an issue anymore, but she disagreed.

"No way. I wanted to drink you… your blood," she amended, "just from smelling it. Now that I've tasted you I might not be able to stop next time."

That night was one of the hardest in recent memory. As much as I argued to the contrary Nessie still insisted we sleep apart.

We hadn't slept a night apart in almost two years. And we hadn't gone to sleep without first making love since my birthday, seven months ago.

This was so much harder than when Bella and Eddie had separated us when Nessie was younger. I don't think I can do this. Just like back then all I wanted to do was get up and run to Nessie, to comfort her. I could feel how upset and miserable she was, all alone. She was just at the other side of the house, but it felt like miles. Half a dozen times I got up, walked across the house and stood on the other side of her bedroom door. I thought about knocking. But I didn't. It wasn't what I wanted. I wanted to burst the door open. I wanted to rush into the room. I wanted to scoop her up into my arms and never put her down. I wanted to tell her that everything would be okay.

But I didn't. It wasn't what Nessie would want. So each and every time, after standing there, staring at a door for I didn't know how long, I slinked back to my room, laid back down and tried time and gain to fall asleep.

At some point I must have passed out, because the next thing I knew the alarm was going off on my phone. It was seven in the morning. We would need to leave soon.

When I went to wake Nessie up I found her already in the shower. Then, before I could make up my mind as to whether or not I should try and join her, the water turned off. Two seconds later she was dressed and urging _me_ to hurry up.

"How's your thirst?" I promised I wouldn't force her to drink my blood again, but if she needed it I wouldn't stop her biting me either.

"Let's just go." She walked swiftly past me, with her head down.

That was bad. And then it got worse.

I could hear the housekeepers motor boat approaching. I didn't think they would be here this early. When they came, two weeks ago, it was closer to noon.

This was going to be a problem. Great! Now what we were going to do?

"Ness, why don't you stay in the back bedroom until I let you know it's clear?" I didn't want them turning into Nessie's lunch. After my sweet, blood thirsty, half-Vampire was sealed safely away, I went to let the housekeepers in.

"Bom Dia, senhor," Luiz greeted me, while Gabriela shyly smiled next to her husband, after I opened the door.

"Um, hi. We weren't expecting you here already."

"Sim, we assess damage from de storm. An begin to making repairs," Luiz replied in his thickly accented tongue. I was glad that Carlisle had replaced the old housekeeper's with ones that spoke at least a little English. My Spanish was basic and couldn't speak any Portuguese. Of course Nessie was fluent in both, not that that would have helped us now.

But it made sense though, for why they came so early. I should have thought of it.

"Well, we just need to head over to the mainland and pick up a few things, so I guess we'll just let you get to work. If you need any help when we get back, please let us know. But, um -" think, think, think... oh, I've got it... "Nessie needs some err, female hygiene _stuff_, right away. And we're, um, out." Yeah. That would make sense right? Without going into too many specifics. It was girly kinds of things. And it was something that another guy wouldn't want to ask too many questions about it.

Clearly by the look on their faces I was right. He was embarrassed and she was too shy in general to say anything.

After excusing myself, I went and grabbed Nessie, still tucked safely in the back bedroom. While whispering for her to just try and hold her breath as much as she could, we raced through the house and to the boat as quickly as _humanly_ possible. For just a second, as we approached the couple, I saw a glint of fear in Nessie's eyes, as the woman looked like she was going to ask us a question. But she must have seen something on our faces that made her change her mind and we kept moving, straight passed them.

We did it! We were on the boat, heading towards the mainland, and our housekeepers were still alive. With any luck Nessie would find something appetizing to drink fairly quickly, and we could head back to give them a hand with the cleanup.

Naturally the wildlife was different here than back home, but Nessie found a pampas deer and a Brazilian tapir horse to feed on. While I didn't have a clue what the names of animals she was drinking from were, Nessie had read up on the local wildlife and told me about them on the boat ride back to the island.

We also saw all the damage caused by the storm for the first time. I knew the main structure of the house was undamaged. The Doc probably built it to be able to withstand his families, err... extracurricular activities. But the rest of the island didn't fare so well.

Since we'd left in such a hurry this morning I hadn't even noticed, but there were trees knocked down everywhere. Part of the dock that the boat was tied to, or had been tied to, was missing. I spotted it floated in the water a few hundred feet away. It was easy enough to grab and tow back to shore. I'm sure I could probably nail it or tie it back together somehow. I wonder what kind of supplies were on the island, or if our housekeepers had brought anything with them? I'll have to find some tools somewhere.

Our two housekeepers were currently outside struggling to clear the trees away; it was too big a job for them. Nessie and I could handle it easily, and very quickly, but we couldn't exactly do it with them watching.

"Feel like getting your hands dirty?" Nessie turned and asked me, as we docked the boat on, what remained of the pier. It looked like she was thinking the same thing I was.

"Absolutely. But how?" I gave her a questioning look.

"Just leave it to me," she smirked, then walked over to Gabriela and started whispering in her ear. I was able to hear everything, but she must have been speaking in the woman's native language, because I didn't understand a word of what either of them said.

I know Nessie can be very convincing when she wants or needs to be, so it wasn't surprising when Gabriela walked over to her husband and they quickly excused themselves and left us, promising to return, shortly.

"What did you say to her?"

"I just asked Gabriela if she would be so kind as to find me a specific brand of tampon." Nessie said that she had stressed that she needed whatever that brand was, but we couldn't find ourselves when we went over to the mainland.

Of course she must have heard the excuse I gave to Luiz, as to why we were leaving so quickly this morning.

Once their boat had disappeared from sight, we began making quick work of the fallen trees. Then I was still able to secure the dock back together enough that we could walk on it safely, at least until our next trip back to the mainland next week, where Nessie would hunt and I could pick up some supplies to fix it correctly. I hadn't been able to find a hammer or nails and had to improvise.

But it was unnecessary. Our housekeepers returned, later that night. Luiz brought with him the correct supplies to fix the dock but Gabriela was very apologetic that they weren't able to find the tampons Nessie asked for. She did offer her a bag full of probably every single other brand available in the entire city. I felt a little bad we sent them on a wild goose chase but reconciled myself that it was better than having them hurt themselves.

Even though they'd been gone for most of the day they were surprised to see that Nessie and I had cleared all of the trees. It actually had only taken us less than an hour and they'd been gone for more than eight. Hopefully they weren't going to get suspicious about anything. Just in case Nessie and I feigned some exhaustion over our "long day of physical labor".

After the hurricane it was nice to have some nice weather over the next two weeks. We returned to the mainland each weekend so Nessie could hunt and I could pile the boat high with more food – mostly for myself. Our housekeepers never seemed to bring enough; completely understandable considering they were unaware aware of my crazy Wolf metabolism. And, I think after two months of eating nothing else, Nessie had developed a liking for some more human foods, not just fruit like before. But there was no way I was letting her go back to an all human food diet, at least not anytime soon.

Once a week we also called home, letting everyone know that we were okay and that we missed everyone. Rose was constantly hounding us for updates on our baby making progress, which was upsetting to both Nessie and me, but at least we would call on the same day she took those damn pee tests so my sweetheart only had to go through one day of heartbreak a week. I wished Rose could be a little more considerate. We'd become friends over the years, but she could still be a little... Argh!

If only there was a way to cut these calls short, maybe then we could skip the pity-party. But everyone wanted to talk to Nessie and we ended up sitting through update after update from all of them, regaling us with stories about every little detail going on in their lives.

Some of it was good… useful.

Esme filled us in on how Seth was doing, refinishing the house Nessie and I had bought for him to redo. She was running things while we were away, communicating with our intermediary, Jack Fisher, and giving us updates on the house and Seth's progress. This week she was happy to report that Seth seemed to be handling everything pretty smoothly and there were no major problems. In fact he was doing such a good job, Esme was considering hiring him herself on her next project.

Jasper and Carlisle informed us that the hospital body dumps seemed to have stopped once again. And just like before we left they still had no leads.

Alice still had no idea why we were going to be moving to France, but the time table was becoming clearer. She saw that it would be within the next year. That was something at least. I'll need to concentrate more on learning French when we get back home.

Emmett was being his normal helpful self, pressing her for details that she didn't have. Where was Rose to distract him, when needed?

Bella and Edward never seemed to want to get off the phone when we called. I know they missed Nessie, but I didn't remember them having this kind of problem when they were the ones staying on the island and Nessie was home. I guess there was more to distract them when they were here.

But now it was getting close to the end of August. I know everyone had said to stay as long as we liked but our senior year of school was going to be starting in less than a month. We could have sex just as easily at home as we could here. And the change in location didn't seem to be doing anything to promote Nessie's body to conceive, or whatever it was supposed to do.

Okay, I knew we were here so she could relax, thinking that all the stress wasn't helping, but how could she not be stressed? What with her bodies deadline drawing nearer every day, and having to take a pregnancy test every week, not to mention Rose's incessant hounding. My poor Nessie was a bucket of nerves, no matter how hard she tried to deny it, or how much I tried to distract her. She had a Vampire brain that never forgot anything.

I needed to start coming to terms that it might not happen after all. I'd always wanted a child, but if I had to live the rest of my forever with just Nessie, I would still be perfectly happy. I just hope I was enough for her.


	36. Surprising Developments

**The Blue Moon**

* * *

**Year Six, Chapter Thirty-Six**

**Surprising Developments**

* * *

Jacob's Point of View

* * *

Everything was packed and it was time to go. While I had easily fit all of my clothes into the backpack I would be taking into the Amazon, Nessie had a bit more trouble. We couldn't very well lug all of the suitcases she had originally brought with her through the jungle. I could survive with just a couple pairs of my special _Alice Shorts_ while in the jungle, but needed to bring at least one change of clothes, plus shoes, when we eventually got onto a plane to go home. The rest of my stuff could easily be shipped home with all of Nessie's clothes she didn't have room for. I'd already dumped out the rest of my clothes, to fit the remainder of the pregnancy tests in my bag, so Nessie would have more room in hers; but she still had had to narrow things down considerably.

After dropping our extra bags off at the airport, (I didn't even know you could do that, but Edward had made all of the arrangements) we headed off towards the Rainforest in a small plane we'd chartered to take us the almost two thousand miles, into the middle of Brazil, at the edge of the State of Tocantins. Since the Amazon Coven didn't live anywhere near a town, or even any real civilization to speak of we'd have to go the rest of the trip on foot. Nessie and I still only had a general idea of where to find them after speaking with Alice. She was able to tell us the general area where they were at the time of the phone call, but would probably have moved when we finally got close to their last known location. And we were unlikely to get a cell signal that far into the jungle.

Amazingly after only a few days of running and searching we found them. Or more accurately they found us.

Nessie and I had been running side by side for awhile, but Nessie couldn't keep going for as long as I could. While I normally slept every night I didn't need to. It was part of being a wolf. I couldn't go permanently without sleep, but back in Washington skipping a few nights to run patrols every once in a while hadn't seem to affect me. Same was true now. Nessie needed more sleep than I did so when she got tired I phased, and she climbed onto my Wolf back.

"Are you sure you'll be okay up there?" I asked her, after I had suggested it. As soon as the idea left my mouth I'd immediately regretted it. I hadn't thought through the logistics. Riding on me was one thing, but I didn't want her to slip and fall off if she fell asleep… and she looked like she was ready to drop. Add to that the additional complications that now she would now have to carry both bags. It might be better if I just carried her as I was now, like I did with a human Bella, when she needed to be hidden from Victoria's Newborn army.

I was faster as a Wolf though, and would be able to run longer in that form. I didn't know which way would be more comfortable for Nessie though.

"We hold each other every night while we sleep. I doubt this'll be much different. And I do have Vampire reflexes. Relax," she snorted, while holding out her arm to carry my bag.

Sometime over the next three hours Nessie had fallen asleep. She hadn't fallen, merely slumped down against my head.

That's probably why the Amazon Coven reacted as they did when we finally came across them a few hours later. They didn't see her.

At first I thought one of them must have had a gift we didn't know about when they appeared out of thin air. But as I came to learn they had been traveling high up in the trees and had done this diagonal flip thing, landing right in front of me.

Their growling was what woke Nessie up, but her smile made them stop. At first there was nothing but confusion on their faces, then one broke out into her own grin.

"Little Renesmee? My little visão gêmea, is that you? But it cannot be. You are a woman now," she exclaimed.

"It's me Zafrina." Nessie said as she climbed off my back, rushed over, and jumped up into her friend's arms. At 6'4" Zafrina was almost as tall as me.

In an instant Kachiri jumped in front of me when I had attempted to follow Nessie. It was _my_ growling this time that alerted Nessie that there was a problem.

Nessie hadn't become friends with Kachiri, like she had Zafrina and Senna, since we'd only briefly met her after the Volturi confrontation, when she came to Washington with Nahuel and Huilen. It became immediately clear that she was the leader, and my presence here was not welcome.

She crouched down, ready to attack.

If she was looking for a fight she was about to get one. No one stood between a Wolf and their Imprint.

I growled louder getting ready to pounce, but Nessie yelled for us to both back down. In the blink of an eye Zafrina had put Nessie down, dashed over, and linked her sister's hands in hers. They must have somehow wordlessly communicated, because whatever she said or did worked. Sort of. She came up out of her attack stance but still wouldn't let me near Nessie.

"Jacob phase back," Nessie pleaded.

When I did Kachiri hissed. "Lobisomem!" It looked like she was having second thoughts on not attacking me.

"He is the child's protector," Zafrina reminded her sister. "He will not attack us."

Hmph! Don't be too sure of that.

"Jacob!" Nessie finally managed to squeeze past the Amazons and rushed into my arms. We'd only been kept apart for a few minutes but it felt like hours. Placing her safely behind me I informed everyone that we were leaving. Without turning around I started backing us away.

"But we came all this way. I want to stay," Nessie said at the same time Zafrina assured us there would be no more treats from Kachiri. Nessie was welcome, and I would be "tolerated as necessity demanded".

It wasn't what Kachiri said, but Nessie's pleading eyes that caused me to change my mind. "Fine," I gave in. "But if any of your _friends_ try to keep us apart again we are going to have a problem," I insisted more to the three Amazons than Nessie, even though I was looking at her. Out of the corner of my eye I saw them each nod.

Good enough.

* * *

Renesmee's Point of View

* * *

Who lives like this? Aunt Alice would not be able to survive here. Besides there being no stores to go shopping in, there was no Haute Couture or even Cosmo magazines, not to mention Gucci, Prada, and Chanel… The list went on and on. Grandma Esme would be lost too, for many of the same reasons, what with no houses to rebuild and decorate, and no Tiffany lamps, Eames chairs, Picasso's or Yayoi Kusama's to hang on the walls. There were no roads for Aunt Rose and my father to race down in their cars, or Jake and Uncle Jasper in their motorcycles. Uncle Emmett would be lost without a TV to watch sports and play video games on. My mother might be okay… if she brought a few of her favorite books, and I think Grandpa Carlisle could be happy anywhere, as long as there were people somewhere nearby he could help. But maybe not. They would more likely be food for Zafrina and her coven.

It must be so weird living outside with no permanent home to go to. But I guess it just came down to what one was use to. They didn't sleep, so they didn't need beds, and they wouldn't be harmed by the elements so they didn't need any type of shelter. But to have little to no possessions outside of the clothes on their backs and the few small trinkets they carried along with them… no. It was fun to visit, but I could never live like this.

Yet the jungle was beautiful. I thought that while we were here maybe Zafrina and her sisters would take Jake and me on a few hikes to show us their home, but they didn't exactly run around the Amazon jungle… they swung.

I couldn't believe it. Being able to soar through the trees… it was like flying. Swinging from branch to branch, on giant vines, under the canopies, was amazing! I felt like Tarzan. And the way and the sun gleamed through the trees was magical. I loved seeing the silhouetted collage of leaves from the underside. And then following what light spilt down as it hit random spots on the forest floor, was like tiny spotlights highlighting a secret world. The light uncovered new little treasures; things I would never notice normally. It was amazing; all of the unique items to observe here - the strange bugs, giant the leaves, the glasslike glint on rocks, even the air smelt different. It was spectacular.

Even though our reunion was rocky in the beginning, now that everyone had settled down, I loved getting the chance to reconnect with Zafrina and Senna. While the past five years have seemed like nothing to them, it had been literally a lifetime for me, since we'd seen each other.

While I despised the reason for them being thrust into my life, when the Volturi came to Forks to destroy my family, I was glad that it brought the sisters into my life, especially Zafrina.

Zafrina's gift had opened my eyes to an entire world outside of my tiny home, back in Washington, that I never would have even imagined existed if not for her. Sure I read about the places she showed me, seen them in movies and on TV, looked at them in photographs, and had gone to museums to see paintings of many of the places, but outside of getting on a plane and actually going there myself, her illusions were the next best thing. In some ways they were even better. I got the experience of going to the other side of the planet without having to leave my home.

Being here in the Pantanal wetlands, of South America, after having already seen it through Zafrina's eyes, it made me feel almost as if I was home. Everything seemed familiar, even though it was technically brand new.

I wish I could do that, too. Maybe she could teach me.

After explaining what I wanted, and her agreeing to help, we began working almost daily to expand my gift. I'm not sure how effective it was. I spent a lot of time trying to concentrate on projecting my thoughts and emotions into others minds, like she projected illusions. I wasn't even close to being successful; I couldn't even get it to work with Jake standing incredibly close to me. I tried everything I could think of. I'd tried everything Kate had told my mother to do to expand her shield. When that didn't work we moved on. I'd think of Jake's face and picture myself using my gift like I normally did... nothing. I'd think of placing my hand on his face, like I used to have to do when I was little, to get an image to appear in his mind... it didn't work. I tried touching him and showing him an image and then slowly lifting away one finger at a time, continuing the images. It worked until the last of my fingers left his skin. Nothing I tried worked, but I was determined to continuing experimenting until I was successful.

After a week I still wasn't having any luck, was exhausted, and out of ideas. My father had once explained that no two Vampires had the same gift, but I still hoped I could figure out how to do it. Zafrina could show an entire group of people an allusion. I just wanted to be able to do it to one person; it didn't seem to be too much to ask. Did it? But apparently that was beyond my ability. For now, anyway.

Instead I decided to take a break and just try to get better control of my current gift. I had slipped more than once recently, showing people things I hadn't meant too, when I was overly emotional. I guess I could use some work on my control. And luckily I had a more than willing partner, in Jake, to help me.

Just as Jake and I were about to start Zafrina appeared before me. She literally dropped out of the sky. Okay in reality she probably fell a few dozen meters down from the jungle canopy, landing stealthily behind me. But it appeared as if she and her sisters materialized out of nowhere.

"Well visão gêmea," I liked it when she first called me her _vision twin_, but now at my recent failures her affectionate nickname hurt, but not wanting to offend her I never mentioned it, "we must leave you for a little while." A frowned slipped onto my face at these words, but I still didn't say anything. Why were they leaving us? Did we do something wrong? I had spent all morning with Jacob trying to get control of my gift. Were they upset? Did they think I was ignoring them? "It is time for us to hunt, again and I do not believe your Wolf would care to witness again. Am I correct?" I nodded. "Are you thirsty? He can wait here, if you would like to join us." Jacob quickly inhaled a gasped breath and didn't release it until I politely declined. "Then we should be back in a day or two," she said unoffended.

They were typical red eyed Vampires who saw no need to restrict their diet, and there was no reason for them to follow the agreement they made with my family back in Forks. Last week they'd fed from a few humans in full view of Jacob.

We had been having a fun afternoon, swinging through the trees. The Amazons had told us that this was an unpopulated area and there was no danger of us being seen, and with a plethora of sturdy vines was one of their favorite spots to swing. Jake had chosen not to this time and was running as a Wolf below. Part of me wondered if he was nervous about breaking another bone, like when he fell last year trying to retrieve my kite, but I didn't want to embarrass or upset him, deciding to talk to him later, in private.

Unfortunately we stumbled upon a small camp of humans. One of them seemed to startle when they saw Jake's giant Wolf form burst through the trees. The Amazons hadn't even had the intention of hunting, but when the man fell back and scrapped the palm of his hand, there was nothing Jake or I could do. Senna was the first to attack, followed quickly by her sisters. Not having or needing any self control before, they acted completely on instinct, and had sunk their teeth into the entire entourage before I even finished my gasp. After that there was nothing to do but let them finish. That or have them turn. In a pure numbers game, over the long run, their deaths were a disheartening but better option for Jake (and me).

I wouldn't have thought they'd need to feed again so soon. But they seemed to prefer keeping their eyes bright red. My family only hunted once every two to three weeks.

On the other hand Jake had a Wolves metabolism and needed to eat multiple times a day. With no markets in the middle of the jungle, that meant he needed to hunt (animals) even more often. Not wanting to be wasteful I would drink, and then Jake would eat the meat. I'd been trying to pick smaller prey, but even hunting every other day I don't think I've ever fed so much, or felt so full, in my entire life. We tried saving half of the meat to cook over a fire, as to not have to hunt daily. It was the best we could do with no refrigeration. Any longer and the high heat, combined with the humidity, would make it go bad.

To keep from getting too hungry Jake supplemented his diet with fruit. There was plenty to eat in the jungle, but it wasn't very filling. Not for a Wolf. I know Jake spent a month as a Wolf when my parents were engaged, and survived on animal meat. Back then he'd stayed in his Wolf form for months, growing accustomed to eating raw, but here he mostly stayed human, and had human wants and needs.

At least I hadn't been craving Jake's blood anymore. I had no idea why, but after that one time I drank from him the desire went away. I hadn't realized it at the time, but over the next few days he would eat, I would eat, we would kiss, I would hunt... and nothing. My cravings were gone, as suddenly and mysteriously as they had started. Thank goodness.

My problem was gone, but Jakes…

He'd started growling softly behind me until the Amazons were well out of view. The events of last week were still raw. He couldn't get over the mistaken guilt he placed on himself for the humans' deaths. He felt their deaths were partially his fault. I knew this was hard on him, he hated the loss of human life, but he was putting up with it for me, not saying anything to stop them or interfere, even though it went against everything he stood for.

"Jake, are you okay to help me practice some more?" I asked him shortly after they left. He said he would earlier, but now I was worried he might have changed his mind.

"Always, sweetheart," he said after stifling another growl, pretending to drop his anger, and grinned back at me. I wanted to say something to comfort him. But what could I say that I hadn't already said a hundred times before? That I hadn't said a dozen times since it happened last week? That I hadn't said a handful of times before we went to bed last night? "What should I do?"

If he wanted to pretend he was fine then I would too. Maybe taking his mind off of what had happened, and what was about to, would help. "Just start talking to me. Say things… memories of us, whatever you can think of that will get me emotional – angry, happy, scared. I don't care, you pick. The important thing is that you let me know right away if you start seeing my thoughts, so I can see if I can put a stop to them without having to no longer touch you," I explained as I laid my hand on his arm.

"Scared," he humphed, "seems I'm good at that," he added under his breath. This was not a good start. "I'd never want to make you angry so how about a happy memory?" I was unsure what would work best to trigger an unplanned vision, but assumed something happy would work. And maybe it would cheer him up too. The last time I accidentally showed him my thoughts I'd been absolutely euphoric.

Jake started by telling me some memories of the two of us, recalling some of our happy times when I was younger and we hung out at La Push. It was a rough start, but the more Jake talked the better his mood improved. Recalling my childhood seemed to ease some of the pain from last week. And before long he was smiling.

"Did you see anything, Jake?" He'd been recalling different events from our past for about twenty-five minutes now.

"Nope, nothing." He raised his eyebrows, "You think this means you're getting better control of your gift?"

"Maybe, but I'm not sure those were the right memories to get me to lose my focus. I mean, sure, I enjoyed them, but they weren't anything traumatic or got me overly excited."

"I see what you mean, honey. Let me try again." He began recalling the night of our first kiss, but hadn't gotten too far when he stopped, just like I had asked, alerting me that he could see my thoughts.

Crap! I failed again.

"Okay, one more time. Give me another of those types of memories," I told him. This time I was determined to not slip, I would concentrate on not getting distracted, as ridiculous as that sounded.

Jake started recalling a very happy memory. It was from his 22nd birthday, when we went to a hotel after a football game. "We'd been in the tub for about twenty minutes and the bubbles were starting to disappear. They'd come up to your shoulders when we first got in, but by then so many had popped that I could see straight down to your navel."

He was describing our time together just as we finished soaking in the Jacuzzi. Soon after we got out and began making our way over to the bed. It was an amazing night, one that I would never forget, not that I would anyway, but it was one of my favorites that I thought about often. He kissed me with such passion that night, the way he touched me, the feel of his bare skin next to mine, I just knew that...

"Jake! What's going on? Are you okay?" Was he having a stroke or something?

I was full on panicking. His was still sitting next to me, but his eyes closed, and his mouth was hanging open. Jake's tongue was wiggling back and forth slightly and his arms and legs started twitching. What had I done to him?

Grabbing onto his shoulders I started shaking as hard as I could, while calling his name. Thankfully that appeared to bring him out of it, whatever _it_ was. He seemed dazed, but unharmed. I think.

A few seconds later he started smiling. I guess I hadn't hurt him.

"Nessie, I... that was... wait..." he looked around, confused. "What happened? How did we get back here?" His happiness seemed to give way to more and more confusion. The feeling was mutual.

"Jacob, are you alright?"

"Wow, Nessie. That was amazing," he said while shaking his head, almost like a dog did when they're wet. "At first nothing happened. Then I started seeing your memories like I usually do, but all of a sudden it changed and became almost real. No, it felt like it _was_ real. I felt like I was right back in that hotel room. I mean I really _felt_ it. I could feel you touching me, and me touching you. And I felt the bubbles popping, and the warmth of the water, and then sinking onto the bed's mattress, and the weight of the sheets on us. It was amazing. And it wasn't just your thoughts in my head. Everything seemed so real, so genuine. The room even smelled the same.

"Really? I wished you had told me sooner. You scared me." Was he really enjoying himself too much to do that? Probably.

"I'm sorry I didn't, but I couldn't. I hadn't realized it wasn't real. I truly thought we were back there. It wasn't till you shook me out of it that I realized we were still in the jungle."

Huh? Was that why he was moving so funny? He was reliving our time together, kissing me not only in mind, but body as well. If he could feel everything, and his mind had become convinced that it was happening, his body seemed to have become animated as well.

"Wonderful job, Nessie. You expanded your gift just like you hoped."

He was right. My gift had grown, just not in the way I had thought. I didn't know if it was wonderful though. My desire to control my gift and keep from sharing my visions backfired and went completely in the other direction.

I tried it again and was able to recreate experiences we shared together eight more times with varying degrees of success. The next day after three more successful memory shares, the fourth time I switched it up a bit. I tried showing him something we'd never actually done before but I had wanted to try. I didn't think it was anything bad but he just gave me a weird look.

"Nessie are you trying to show me something? 'Cause nothing's showing up."

"Nothing? Not even a little bit?" I asked. He shook his head. After explaining what I tried to do, I made another attempt, with the same non-results. "I guess it doesn't work with made up events." Not willing to give up so easily we kept trying all afternoon, all with the same non-existent results.

"I seem to only be able to do it with events I've really done. Oh well." I sighed, not knowing if I was feeling more depressed or exhausted.

"Let's take a break for awhile," Jake suggested, knowing I needed it. "What's the first think you want to do when we get home?"

That was easy. "A shower." Sure there were rivers all around us that we could bathe in, but I wanted a hot soak in our tub, with my strawberry bubble bath, some bath salts, shower gel, and my loofah. Not to mention my shampoo and conditioner. Without a mirror it was hard to tell what my hair looked like, but _scary_ was probably an accurate description. "What about you?"

"Hmmm?" his eyes glassed over. "A giant glass of milk. Some chocolate chip cookies. Oh, and nachos! Loaded with three types of cheeses, jalapenos, sour cream, onions, olives, chicken, beans, guac-"

"So… food?" I cut him off, laughing.

All too soon break time was over and we went back to practicing my new gift, sharing some of our favorite memories. Jake loved reliving the experiences in his mind. He said it was like he was really back there.

When they returned from hunting the next day Zafrina, and her sisters, were happily surprised to hear the news of my gifts escalation, and enjoyed the images and scenes I recreated for them. They were nothing like the ones I shared with Jake, just some of my everyday life at Dartmouth.

The next day Zafrina managed to pry me away from Jake, to talk.

"It was so good to see you again my little visão gêmea. We have loved having you here. Perhaps, when you come back to see us again you might be able to leave the dog at home?" I knew Zafrina wasn't trying to be mean. The two of us, being here for so long was just more than they could put up with; they weren't used to having visitors. The Amazons were solitary creatures, set in their ways. Having me there with them was a lot. Having Jacob there too was almost intolerable. He was a _smelly_ Werewolf, after all. I knew they found Jake's smell offensive, and he theirs. We hadn't stayed with them, just nearby, but it was still more than they could put up with indefinitely.

We'd been here for only two weeks and had already worn out our welcome. It was time to go home.

After saying our goodbyes we sprinted to the closest _civilized area,_ one that had things like electricity and running water, where we could charge our phones to locate the closest city. There we would need to charter a helicopter, which would then take us to an airport, to finally fly home. But before we could do any of that I had a few things I needed to do.

First, before I did anything else I needed to find a convenience store and buy a pregnancy test. A little mishap in a swamp had ruined my remaining ones so it had been over two weeks since the last one. Then I ran into the first public bathroom I found.

I wasn't too hopeful. While on Isle Esme Jake and I had spent many hours every night, and a large portion of each day, working on our _task _to no effect. After catching up with the Amazon Coven, going for a few hikes and swinging around the terrain, hunting the local wildlife, and practicing my gift, there wasn't a lot of time left for more baby making attempts. And then there was the fact that we'd been living like Zafrina and her coven, outdoors. No house, no walls, no bed. The Amazons didn't sleep, so they didn't think about such things, but it made things difficult for Jake and me. Not that we hadn't found any time… just not as much.

Still I prayed this would be the time the test came back positive. But three minutes later when I looked at the stick, my heart sank as only a single line appeared. Negative again.

Part of me thought that I should be used to it by now, but I could feel my eyes begin to water. Maybe being a mother just wasn't in the cards for me.

Even though my grandfather ran his tests and determined that there was nothing wrong with me, or Jacob, preventing us from getting pregnant, I still took it personally. Jacob did too. Even more than me. He blamed himself for not doing his _job_, or something.

I didn't want him to see me cry, but as hard as I tried to stop them, the tears fell anyway.

Turning away from Jake, I wiped them away as fast as I could. I knew he saw, but was kind enough to not say anything. I couldn't take another one of his pep talks, telling me that it'll happen, that we just needed to be patient. I don't think either of us believed it anymore.

"Let's take the scenic route home," Jake said. "Forget about flying. We can rent a car and drive." It would extend our trip even more, but so what. School would always be there.

I called home, needing to let them know the news, all of it.

Even though I had called my mother my Aunt jumped on the phone after hearing my disappointing news. "Aunt Rose, please I can't…" Didn't she understand that this was hard for me too? "I'm sorry," I cried. I know I had failed Jake, and myself, by not getting pregnant, but for some reason telling her the news now I felt like I had failed her most of all. Not be able to have one herself, she wanted another baby in the house more than anybody else.

My phone was suddenly snatched out of my hand and Jacob was screaming into it. "WHAT DID YOU SAY TO HER?" he demanded. "HOW DARE YOU UPSET NESSIE OVER _THIS_!"

"Jake she didn't... It was me," I tried telling him but he wouldn't listen, and ended the call.

Not surprisingly it started ringing a second later.

"_Renesmee darling_, a_re you alright?"_ I heard my mother asked me, but Jake was the one who answered my phone. All it took was one look to Jake and he had handed it over.

"I'm… fine," I managed to choke out. It was a lie. "I just can't talk about-"

"_Don't worry. I'll take care of it. No one will say a word when you get home, not unless you bring it up first." _My mother always knew what to say, without really saying anything. "_When exactly will that be anyway?"_

After letting her in on our planes, Jake and I hit the road. We decided to stay in some hotels along the way and stop at any tourist attractions, scenic views, festivals, carnivals, museums, concerts, and anything else of interest we came across on the way home. Maybe... who knows, something might happen... eventually. That was my hope at least.

I was running out of time… and options.

* * *

Okay... two chapters left in Book two. The big finally... what everything has been building up to. Chapter 37 is titled _Turmoil_ followed by Chapter 38 _Darkness_.

Thanks for reading and don't forget to review. I'm getting a little sad, no one posted any reviews for the last EIGHT chapters and i'm wondering if anyone cares about the story anymore besides me?


	37. Turmoil

**The Blue Moon**

* * *

**Year Six, Chapter Thirty-Seven**

**Turmoil**

* * *

Renesmee's Point of View

* * *

We'd been on the road for almost twelve hours when I spotted a hotel up the road that looked promising. Tomorrow would be for sightseeing, but today was spent getting some distance from the Rainforest and the Amazons.

I loved the visions Zafrina would show me when I was younger, and respected her for helping me expand my own gift, but was almost glad when she asked us to leave so soon. I would have liked to stay longer if Jake had been more comfortable. Even though he knew what kind of Vampires they were I don't think it was until he saw them in action that he really understood their lifestyle. He never said anything, but the tension he so desperately, yet ineffectively, tried to hide from me had noticeably diminished once we were on the road, and continued to depreciate the further we drove.

As soon as Jake and I had checked into our hotel room I dashed straight to the bathroom.

It was even worse than I thought. How had they even let me into the hotel like this? Couldn't they see?

The door handle began to rattle.

"Renesmee," Jake called as he tapped lightly on the locked door. "You just took a test the other day. It's only going to upset you, taking another one. Please honey open the door, let me in." Of course he'd assume that's what I was doing in here and I could hear his concern for me in his voice.

"No, it's fine. That's not what I'm doing," I said as bristles started snapping off one by one.

"Then, what are you doing? Are you gonna take a shower? Can I join you?" I could hear the amusement in his voice at that idea.

More bristles came off as I continued to drag the comb through my hair. "That's a great idea but first I need to do something about this rat's nest on my head first," I sighed, opening the door. "I'm just so disgusting right now." Yuck.

Jake of course still managed to look like his normal handsome, chiseled self. It probably helped that his hair was neat and trim, since I cut it every week for him. It was too hot down here for him. Shorter hair on his head meant shorter Wolf fur.

"Oh come on, you are gorgeous no matter what," he said caressing my hair, but I knew he was lying, and it was proven when his fingers got ensnarled in the tangled mass. "Here, why don't I help?" He took the comb in one hand and the tiny hotel bottle of conditioner in the other, and went to work.

One hour, two additional bottles of conditioner, and four combs later and Jake managed to return my hair to its former glory.

"See, just a little pampering was all you needed. But even without it you're just as gorgeous as always Nessie. Vampire genes equal natural modelesque beauty." I know he was just trying to be funny, help me laugh, but I also know he was right... normally.

"Oh yeah? You didn't need any help." He looked puzzled. Of course he wouldn't know what I was talking about. I used my gift to show him the beautiful woman I spotted checking him out in the lobby. She looked somehow familiar, yet I'd never seen her before, (I'd remember if I had) but there was just something about her that reminded me of... something. Maybe it was just jealousy.

It was the same everywhere we went. At school, in Hanover, on the plane coming down here. I never minded before, but now I was getting annoyed. Maybe it was because I'd never caught anyone so obviously staring at Jake as her. Normally it was just the occasional glance here and there. Not that I had anything to be worried about. He never saw other women and we would be gone in the morning, away from her, anyway. Still...

I couldn't wait to get home.

* * *

We were about a day's drive from home when my thirst got to be too overwhelming for me, again. I'd gone back to hunting every week but was still a couple days shy of my normal schedule.

Hopefully once I stop growing, when I turn seven, this will no longer be a problem. I had thought I would've gained more control over the years, but the opposite seemed to be the case. It worried me that I might have screwed my body up trying to abstain from blood since it was too soon to be this thirsty this soon. Damn.

Jake and I were currently somewhere in New York State. It had been just over twelve days since we left Zafrina and her sisters in the Amazon. While it only would have taken us three days, to get home, if we drove non-stop, we had done some sightseeing along the way. Though every part of this trip was filled with just as many negatives as there were positives, and the purpose behind it was not accomplished, I was still happy we went.

Checking the GPS on my phone I saw that Harriman State Park was just a few miles out of the way. It would be the perfect place to stop so I could hunt. A quick Google search showed that there was white tail deer and coyotes native to the area, so I was sure to find something I could sink my teeth into.

"There might be hikers, or tourists walking around the woods at this time of day," Jake said as we were within a few miles of the Park. "Do you think you can wait until nightfall?"

Normally I wouldn't be worried about accidentally going after one of them, but agreed to wait. Even though I didn't think I had gone too long between feedings, my thirst was just so overwhelming right now, I didn't trust myself.

Hunting during the day meant there was always the odd passerby/witness to worry about. Even if I didn't attack a nearby human, I couldn't risk them viewing my hunting activities and the accompanying exposure either.

Jake looked like he wanted to once again offer to _help_ out, just to tide me over, but had promised he wouldn't. And even if he did I would still decline. Though I still loved the way he smelt, Jake's blood was no longer appealing to me. I was happy about that, though not entirely sure why, and I didn't want to do anything to cause those cravings for him to come back. I couldn't risk hurting him.

We still had a few more hours until it got dark, so to pass the time Jake and I checked into a local hotel. If I was going to spend the night hunting I would need a nap beforehand.

Stripping off my jacket, that was purely for show, and my pants that were too heavy to sleep in comfortably I went immediately for the bed, crawling under the covers and closing my eyes.

"Wait for me," I heard Jake yell, a second before he crashed down on top of me.

Ha, ha, ha. I couldn't help but laugh, picturing how he must have run across the room and leapt a few feet from the bed to have been able to land on me at such an angle.

"What are you… Oh," I chuckled, breaking off my question. I'd gotten my answer just by looking at him. I loved that mischievous smile he wore sometimes right before we made love. And right now it was plastered on his face. Oh well, who needs sleep? This was a much more pleasurable way to spend our time, anyway.

We ended up falling asleep for a couple of hours afterwards, so I did get my nap in the end. When I woke up I felt more refreshed than ever. And Jake seemed exquisitely happy. He was still asleep, but wore a huge smile.

Living with the Amazon coven, even for a couple of weeks, wasn't easy for him. I know he'd gotten use to my family, but I wasn't one hundred percent sure how comfortable he always was around them. This time away from Vampires would probably be good for the Wolf part of him. Having it be just the two of us, even temporarily seemed to make him happier, more carefree than I've ever seen him. Then again it could just be all of the sex we were having. I chuckled to myself at that thought.

"Jake! The time," I gasped, a second later, after looking over to the clock on the nightstand. We'd slept later than I thought and it was now after 1am.

We needed to leave NOW if I was going to be able to hunt before the sun came up and people began returning to the State Park.

We quickly dressed and were out the door in thirty-two seconds flat. There was still the odd human out here and there so instead of running we had to drive the mile and a half to the Park. It took us a little longer but once we were a good ways into the forest I picked up the scent of a coyote. Normally they were my favorites but this one didn't smell as good as I thought it would. Its aroma seemed to be mixed with the scent of rotting garbage. Was it already dead? I decided not to even bother investigating and tried to find a deer or elk.

My Jacob gestured with his large Wolf head that he caught a scent over to the left. Sniffing in that direction I picked up the same herd of deer smell he must have and took off after them. After easily catching and drinking a large buck I was still hungry and about to try and locate another when I heard a large bang.

What was that?

It sounded like fireworks, but the 4th of July was months ago. And it was only the one booming sound.

Had someone fired a gun? It was the only other thing I could think of that could have made that noise. But hunting wasn't allowed here.

Wait. Where was Jake?

A split second later I saw him charging towards me when another bang rang out and I saw him stumble to the ground. It was a gun and he had been hit!

"Jacob!" I screamed, running over to him. He managed to get up and we kept running until we were hidden behind some bushes. Once there I looked everywhere on him, trying to find a bullet hole, but instead saw a dart still sticking out of his hind leg. After pulling it out, I saw that he had been injected with something. There didn't appear to be any other physical damage on him, that I could see, at least.

_It's out, _I said with my gift, not wanting to make a noise and have our position be discovered. _How are you feeling? _I had no way of knowing what was in the syringe or how or if it would even affect him.

He didn't phase back but gave me a head nod to indicate that he was okay. I hope he really was and wasn't just trying to protect me from the truth. I knew he would always put me ahead of himself, but it was time I started protecting him. I knew my Vampire skin was stronger than his and the darts couldn't hurt me.

_Stay behind me. _I told him, adding a mental image of the needles bouncing off of me, to which he shook his head "no".

_YES!_ I knew I could be stubborn sometimes, but this was the right thing to do.

Suddenly another shot rang out. They, whoever they were, seemed to be after us, or Jake at least.

Two more shots rang out, but not at us. Maybe the hunter had found another animal to go after.

When five minutes had passed and I hadn't heard anything more I snuck my head out of the bush and looked around but didn't see anyone. At least not in my limited field of vision. Maybe the other direction? Jakes paw moved to stop me, but we couldn't stay here forever. I needed to check if the coast was clear. Moving out of the foliage's cover a little further I still didn't see anyone. Then the wind shifted and I knew that whoever was out there was far away but moving in our direction. Their scent was getting stronger. They had found us.

_Stupid, stupid, stupid_, I scolded myself. They must have spotted me. I should never have looked.

We took off; Jacob first with me close behind, blocking his large frame as best I could, from the darts. We were running away from the sound of the shots and the scent of whoever was behind them, but another blast rang out in front of us. It sounded different. Louder. Whoever this new shooter was was firing real bullets.

There were at least two of them. They must have known Jake wasn't an ordinarily animal by now. He was wearing shorts for crying out loud, and I was with him.

This was a trap! Or an ambush, or something.

This was planned.

Deliberate.

On purpose.

But who?

The Volturi?

No. With Jane and Alec they wouldn't need guns.

That pervert Demetri then?

Maybe. But I was older now. He still couldn't be interested in me, could he?

I didn't have time to think about it anymore, we had to get out of here. But we couldn't.

Shots started firing at us from multiple directions. At least three, as far as I could tell. Where were they? What could I do? The wind shifted again and I couldn't smell anyone anymore. And even if I could see them I couldn't go after them. I couldn't leave Jake, needing to stay and try to block as many darts and bullets as I could.

What was the range on a rifle? One mile? Two? I don't think that it was just the wind being in their favor. Besides the dart gun shooter, whoever was doing this wasn't anywhere close to us. They had to be firing from far away.

We were pinned down and my heart sank a bit more every time I heard Jake cry out, each time he got hit.

"Jake, phase back. You have to phase. You're too big." It would be a smaller surface area to more easily cover and protect with my own. As much as I tried I couldn't cover all of him like this.

Whoever was out there was still firing. And they were getting closer, closing in on us from all sides. The bullets kept coming. With each hit Jake's cries started getting softer and softer.

"Jake… please," I pleaded. But he was still in his Wolf form. I didn't know if he could even hear me any longer. He wasn't making any sound at all anymore. Eventually he just collapsed onto the ground and didn't get back up.

Oh no, my Jacob.

He phased back to human. Weather voluntary or not, I didn't care. Now that he wasn't covered in fur I snuck a glance at the damage that had been done. There were at least eight darts sticking out of various places on his body, which I quickly pulled out. His right thigh bone looked like it had been shattered by a bullet, and he had more bullet holes and grazes littered all over his body. But the worst of all was the wound I saw when I went to turn him over. My Jacob had been SHOT IN THE HEAD!

Putting pressure on his head wound as best I could, I tried to stop the bleeding. "Jacob, you're okay; you're going to be okay." I cried through my tears.

He looked up at me as a single tear rolled down his cheek, and then whispered back to me, "I'm sorry. I love you," before finally closing his eyes.

"Jacob! MY JACOB! JAKE!" I cried and screamed louder and louder, but he didn't open his eyes again.

NO!

* * *

**AN:** I know, I know... I'm evil ending the chapter like that. But what can I say? I need to bring you back somehow.

Thanks to the three people who reviewed the last chapter. I've messaged you all personally to thank you. It meant so much to me to hear what you think of my story.

And I've decided to take a cue from some other stories I've read. I won't be posting chapter 38 until I get at least FIVE reviews for this chapter.


	38. Darkness

**The Blue Moon**

* * *

**Year Six, Chapter Thirty-Eight**

**Darkness**

* * *

Jacob's Point of View

* * *

Beep... Beep... Beep...

"Aaaaahhhh!" Everything hurt. What was going on? I didn't know why, or how, but I had been jerked away from the blissful pain-free black pit of emptiness I had been in.

"He's awaking... turn up... drip, knock... back out... I'll... resetting his leg -" someone shouted as I was pulled back under, back into the darkness.

* * *

Beep... Beep... Beep...

What! Oh, it was that same beeping I heard before. That meant the darkness was lifting. Sort of. I couldn't see or feel a thing… yet.

Slowly, after an uncountable number of beeps, I started feeling pain in my leg, and my back, and my head. Ouch, ouch, ouch. I really had hoped my accelerated healing would have kicked in and I'd have been healed by now.

What the hell happened? And why couldn't I move?

My head was splitting and that damn beeping sound wasn't helping. In fact it was getting more and more annoying. What was it? It was slow and steady, but I couldn't place it, and it didn't stop.

No! That didn't matter. I needed to try to figure out what was going on. I needed to open my eyes.

Nothing happened. What was wrong with me?

Come on, I need to open my eyes. It wasn't easy with the beeping continually breaking my concentration but I just needed to focusing hard on nothing else but this task. They seemed so heavy, but eventually my lids slowly cracked open. The light was so bright, and everything was fuzzy, but I think I was in Carlisle's office turned makeshift hospital room, similar to what he did when Bella was pregnant. With a bit more effort eventually I could turn my head, just slightly.

The beeping sound seemed to be coming from a machine that I think I was hooked up to. There was also an IV in my arm giving me some sort of fluid. I think I saw two of the Cullens moving around in the room somewhere, I couldn't see clearly enough to tell which ones though. They were talking to each other but I couldn't make out what they were saying. I don't think they noticed I was awake. I wanted to say something, let them know I was here… awake, but before I could try to speak everything started spinning and went black again.

* * *

Beep... Beep... Beep...

The pain was back. That meant I was starting to wake up.

Open your eyes. Open your eyes.

Come on stupid eyes… OPEN!

Nothing.

Instead everything started sinking back into darkness.

* * *

Beep... Beep... Beep...

I don't know how long it had been, but I slowly started crawling out of the darkness once again. And once again I started feeling the pain in my leg and head.

Every time I would wake up it started with that damn beeping and then the pain returned. This was the seventh or eighth time, I think, but never for more than a few minutes. How long was I out in between? It couldn't have been that long. I was still in pain... still healing.

At least my back started to feel a little better this time. But the pain in my head and leg were still there, just as bad. It started as a tingling feeling this time, that kept building and building. If it weren't for the pain though, there would be no sensation at all.

Maybe I should try wiggling my toes or lifting my arm or something. Nope. The swirling, head spinning feeling returned and I knew I was sinking back into the darkness.

* * *

Beep... Beep... Beep...

That evil beeping sound I'd been hearing off and on, for who knows how long now, was back. I'd been going in and out of consciousness for a while now. Hours, days, weeks? I couldn't tell.

The pain in my body was mostly gone now. Either the Doc finally got the morphine levels right or I was healing on my own. If that was true it had been at least a few days, maybe longer.

Opening my eyes, which was still a challenge, I could see a little clearer. Not perfect but I could see better. Enough to realize that I wasn't in the Doc's office. It was an actual hospital.

Where was Carlisle? He should be here somewhere. If I was brought to a hospital without him intervening there would have been a lot of questions about my one hundred and eight degree body temp. But the two women, nurses I guessed, floating around the room didn't seem to care that my elevated body temp should mean I was deathly ill.

They weren't panicked, as they checked monitors, fluid levels, charts… it seemed like everything was under control.

I should try to go back to sleep. It might help me heal faster. What had even happened to me?

Oh crap! I hadn't even remembered the attack until this moment. Flashes of the ambush started bombarding my brain. We'd been pinned down, and were hiding in a bush. I'd been hit by about a dozen darts and shot at least four times, one of them shattering my thigh bone. Nessie tried to use her own body to shield me.

NESSIE! Where was she? My eyes shot open and I frantically looked around. I didn't see her. And not just because everything was still blurry. My movement was pretty limited. I couldn't move my head more than an inch but I had to get up and make sure she was okay.

Where was she? Was she in the hospital with me? Had she been hurt? Did they, whoever "they" were, did they get her?

"Nessie" I tried to scream, but it came out more as a garbled whisper.

"Damn, he's awake, again." I heard one of the nurses say.

"It must be his Werewolf body temperature. It keeps burning off the sedatives," the other one added.

Everything was still a little foggy. What were they talking about? What kind of a hospital was this?

"Up the dosage. We don't want him escaping," the first nurse yelled.

Sedatives? Escaping? What was going on? This wasn't a hospital. I was starting to panic. With a sudden rush of adrenaline things got less fuzzy, my vision cleared up and I could move a lot more.

I threw my head up and spotted Nessie entering the doorway. "Ah," I signed with relief. She was alive. It didn't look like she was injured, but she looked deadly tired, and scared, and worried. And her arm was being held by some man, no... he had red eyes and smelled sickly sweet. Thinking back to every Vampire I saw when the Volturi came, I didn't recognize him. Who was he?

"Get that thing back under control," whoever he was snarled at the two women, while he used his free hand to point to me.

She looked scared and it was barely above a whisper but I was able to hear the second nurse (or whoever she really was) tell him, "We're almost out; I'm going to have to go get more," before she scurried out of the room.

Wait! That voice. Was it possible I knew one of the nurse's voices? I hadn't recognized her but her voice sounded eerily familiar. Where have I heard her voice before?

The Motel Room. Oh My God! It was Nahuel's sister, Maysun.

And the other one… I recognized her too. Not her voice, but I had seen her before. Or at least Nessie had and showed me with her gift. Nessie thought she was ogling me in some hotel lobby, but must have been spying on us. She must be Serena, Nahuel's oldest sister.

The Vampire, still clutching Nessie's arm, gestured to me as he began speaking to her. "There, you see, he's alive. We've seen to his injuries and even reset his leg."

He might have been telling the truth about my leg, I don't know, but I was pretty sure the rest was a lie. I was being shot full of drugs through the IV, and not the helpful kind. Sure, they were giving me sedatives, but what else? Nothing helpful. Definitely no painkillers. And probably no antibiotics, not that I really needed them, but they probably wouldn't know that.

"You know what I want, my dear." the Vampire whispered into Nessie's ear, to which she cringed. It then dawned on me who he was. It was that sicko, Nahuel's father. Joham!

"Just don't hurt him again." She sulked back some tears.

"Off course not," he said in a slimy hushed voice. "Your Wolf is my assurance that, as long he lives, you will cooperate. Understand?"

Nessie just nodded to him, while never taking her eyes off of me.

Cooperate? With what?

"Think of the possibilities of our Vampire/Half-Vampire offspring, and probably a gifted one at that. Shall we get started?" he said as he yanked her arm and led her out to somewhere else, beyond where I could see.

NESSIE! I had to get her, save her.

Just like when I was first learning to control my phasing rage was the key to my strength. My need to save Nessie coupled with my desire to rip that leeches head off gave me the strength to… sit up for three seconds before collapsing back down onto the metal gurney.

Serena actually started laughing at my pathetic attempt before Maysun burst through the door with a syringe full of whatever they were pumping into me.

As she was about to inject the drug into my IV bag I managed to lift my arm and attempted to swat her away, but for all my effort I barely grazed her. I didn't think she even noticed. But Serena must have 'cause she ripped it out of her sisters hand and in the blink of an eye stabbed the needle directly into my shoulder.

"Idiot," I heard her chuckle, before I started quickly sinking back deeper and deeper into the blackness.

"Serena, no," Maysun gasped. "That much all at once is going to kill him. He's already been given so much… he's not going to last much longer."

"Who cares, he's dead anyway, as soon as -"

I never heard the rest of what she was saying. Everything was getting so fuzzy. The pain was disappearing, and I couldn't even hear that annoying beeping anymore. I could feel myself starting to lose consciousness.

I was trapped.

And that Monster had Renesmee!

* * *

**A.N.** Alright readers... that's it of Book Two. The story continues in Book Three.

I must really love you all (or be crazy) because I've not only posted this chapter after only two reviews, instead of the five that I asked for, but I also am posting Chapter One of _Orbiting Satellites - Book Two's_ companion story _The Jaguar Versus the Wolf_ all in Nahuel's Point of View. Read what was going on in Nahuels mind during the Jake-Nessie-Nahuel love triangle. It also shows what he was doing while Joham captured Nessie and Jake.

_The Jaguar Versus the Wolf_ can be found here - s/13432489/1/The-Jaguar-Versus-the-Wolf

It won't be as long as Book Two, since he wasn't around for all of the events (though I tried to keep the chapters the same in case any one wanted to toggle back and forth to compare events so there's some filler chapters to keep everything numbered the same) and then I'll start posting _Orbiting Satellites - Book Three_.

What do you think? Any interest in reading Nahuel's point of view?

And what did you think of the ending to OS book 2? I know I'm evil leaving it on another cliffhanger but the stories go from birthday to birthday and that was just how the timing worked out (and i need to give you a reason to come back and read Book Three.


	39. Authors Note

Authors Note:

Chapter One of Orbiting Satellites – Book Three has just been posted. You can find it here –

s/13464478/1/Orbiting-Satellites-Book-Three

Also The Jaguar Versus the Wolf has now been marked complete. It tells the story of Nahuel and Renesmee in Book Two through Nahuel's point of view –

s/13432489/1/The-Jaguar-Versus-the-Wolf


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